


Even in Arcadia, We Are

by Demiurges



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Alternate Universe, Alternate Universe - Angels & Demons, Alternate Universe - College/University, Alternate Universe - Supernatural Elements, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mystery, Slow Burn
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-11-05
Updated: 2016-12-19
Packaged: 2018-08-29 03:52:01
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 5
Words: 27,980
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8474302
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Demiurges/pseuds/Demiurges
Summary: Death, unlike life, usually offers solace to weary souls.  But for some, death brings no end to the struggle.  Light and darkness continue their eternal war, drawing in lost souls as marionettes in their bloody dance of blades.  I want to end it all… but not if it means losing you.  To protect you, I will become what you fear most.  So close your eyes, hold on tight, and don’t let go.  We’ll always be together in our memories.





	1. Darkest Night

It was dark, save for the single soft glowing light several yards in front of him.  It was always dark when they came; their fel presence brought a choking cloud of darkness that stifled any natural light.  It would have been pitch black but for the brightness of a small glowing orb, which served as the only source of light in this place.  This single soul, lonely but strong, always shone through.  Sometimes dimmer, sometimes brighter, but never extinguished.  That light was his lifeline, his purpose.  And now, a terrifying silhouette stood between him and his light. 

The youth felt blood drip down his arm, thicker than the sweat that covered the rest of his body.  His shoulder had been pierced through.  His muscles ached from the strain of battle.  His wings were tattered, with patches of feathers torn out and flesh bleeding from enemy strikes.  His mobility was severely limited, and without aerial mobility, he stood no chance of avoiding the twisting, swirling shots of his opponent.  The fight was almost over.  They both knew his chances were slim to none. 

The dark being in front of him looked positively gleeful at the boy’s current state.  The demon’s long black cloak, dark hair, and eye patch gave him an aura of menace that was amplified by the ear-to-ear grin he currently wore.  “You’re going to die today, kid.  Let it go.  Give it up already and I’ll let you die with some dignity.” 

The youth said nothing in response, just gripped his blade harder.  The blood flowed more freely from his wounded shoulder.  He had lost, but that didn’t mean his opponent had won.  He would die a thousand painful, humiliating deaths before he surrendered the light.  _His_ light.  Brushing his sweat-soaked spiky hair out of his eyes, he steeled himself and prepared to continue the battle. 

The larger man sensed the aggression rolling off the smaller figure and arranged himself into a defensive stance.  He was fighting with a huge advantage, but it wouldn’t do to get cocky and lazy after getting this far.  The kid fought with tenacity and resolve, taking hits that would have downed opponents many times his size.  The demon knew the power in his opponent was not to be underestimated. 

As the two squared off, the tension grew and thickened.  For either of them, the next strike could be their final moment.  One mistake, one slip, one stumble could be the end.  This was a fight to the bitter end, and they couldn’t both survive it.  

 

* * *

 

“Riku?  Riku!  Hey!” A sharp voice in his ear and hands shaking his shoulders pulled him out of his stupor.  “Are you okay?  Did you pass out again?” 

Oh.  Kairi.  Her concerned face loomed in his view, just a little too far into his personal space for comfort.  That was just how Kairi was. 

Even though she hadn’t given him a chance to respond, she carried on.  “If you passed out again I’m taking you to the hospital!  There’s got to be something seriously wrong with you!”  Her hand strayed to his forehead as if reflexively checking his temperature.   

Her frown deepened as he grabbed her hands and pulled them away from his face. 

“No, I didn’t pass out.  I’m actually totally fine.  Just spaced out and a little sleepy.  Not unconscious.  No need to worry at all.” 

Kairi scrunched her nose up, scrutinizing him for a minute before relaxing.  “Okay, if you say so.  Let me know if you need anything.  I’ll be at the counter.  Drinks and snacks are on me if you need any.”  That was one perk of having Kairi as a friend.  She worked at the café adjacent to the main campus library and always gave Riku’s broke ass a deal if she could.  Sometimes he couldn’t tell if she was his angel of mercy or his own personal tormentor, but she was always there for him when he needed her, and for that he loved her. 

Riku tried his best to shoot her a winning smile.  “Will do.  Thanks again, Kai.  I’m really doing much better.  No headaches for a few days.” 

It was just a little white lie told with good intentions.  Kairi didn’t have time to be stressing about nothing, and even though he did feel a little sick and had a wicked migraine, those ailments were commonplace for Riku.  The chronic migraines started when he was younger, and they’d been a monthly occurrence for most of his life.  His parents had worried at first, but doctors had told them it was relatively normal and could have been caused by a number of things from food allergies to hormones.  So Riku dealt with it. 

Up until about about a year ago, it hadn’t been too difficult.  But a year ago, something in Riku changed.  The migraines started occurring much more frequently, and occasionally he’d wake up in strange places having no recollection of going to sleep.  One incident about two months back had scared the hell out of Kairi.  She’d found Riku unconscious on the kitchen floor of his apartment with a pool of blood around his head, a knife laying nearby.  Of course she had imagined all the worst case scenarios at the time, but the truth was much more benign.  Riku had passed out while making dinner, smacked his nose on the floor, and gotten a nose bleed.  The doctors did some brain scans and checked his blood work, but except for slight anemia, all the results were perfectly normal. 

So Riku carried out his normal routine as best he could.  It was difficult to balance work and school before his health started failing, and now it was getting to be practically impossible.  His grades were slipping, he was growing more distant from Kairi, and his work was piling up from his two jobs.  He felt like he was going to go insane. 

Riku glanced at the clock and felt his heart sink.  Damn, he was out of it for a little too long.  He had about an hour to get back to his apartment, dress for work, and make it to the bar before 8:00.  On weekends, he worked the last shift at a local bar.  If the money wasn’t so good, Riku wouldn’t have kept at the job after the summer, but he made great tips thanks to his “exotic” looks.  Riku had been told he was good looking by strangers and friends alike, but compliments about his looks still made him slightly uncomfortable.  He would rather be intelligent or successful than attractive; after all, no one could control what features they were born with.  Applying hard work and diligence seemed much more admirable.  Still, his pride didn’t get in the way of him dressing up just to exploit customers’ interest in him. 

He had learned what got him the highest tips, and he used those features to his advantage.  He always made sure to tie his hair back and wear something that complimented his eyes.  He flirted with the girls who were unattached and any guys who showed interest.  He could talk sports and politics and women with the men and had earned respect by showing respect to the locals.  Tuition wasn’t going to pay itself. 

On his way home, Riku mentally reminded himself to pick up a bottle of extra strength migraine medicine before heading out.  His headache was getting worse with each passing minute, and the atmosphere at the bar was sure to exacerbate every sensation.  He hoped he could make it through Saturday night with little trouble.  He had big plans for Sunday, and those plans meant that he needed to be able to make it through the night. 

 

* * *

 

Like a bolt of lightning, the angelic boy threw all of his energy into a wild charge straight at his opponent.  The demon managed to fire off two barbed projectiles before leaping to the side, dodging out of the angel’s path.  The first shot was easily avoided but steadily curved around, heading back toward its target.  The other projectile met the shining metal of the angel’s sword, leaving a furrow in the ground before dissipating.  The angel managed to pivot to meet another shot from the demon’s weapon with a surprising grace and speed that belied his current appearance.  He parried the third shot easily, following it up with a slash that had the demon dodging backwards, trying to get out of the angel’s range.  The boy was dogged in his strategy though, following the demon’s movements as best he could. 

Despite his best efforts, the demon managed to widen the gap by teleporting a few feet and firing off a barrage of the deadly arrows.  He anticipated the boy throwing up a shield made of light magic, giving the demon more time to put distance between them and pepper the boy with homing bolts.  To his surprise, the boy charged forward again, straight into the rain of projectiles. 

The angel steeled himself for the incoming fire.  His strength was waning, and he knew his chances of defeating his opponent were falling every minute the fight continued.  The boy had already accepted his fate; he would certainly not survive this.  But his loss didn’t mean his opponent’s win.  No one would take the light from him.  He would suffer and die, bloodied and torn, before he let the darkness take that precious soul.  This time, there could be no winner.    

The demon’s good eye widened as he watched the boy’s wing shield his face from a blow, the bullet tearing through the feathers and bone, ripping sinew and muscle on its way through the appendage.  Another shot was deflected off his sword, just grazing the boy’s left arm.  It carved a deep wound that must have been painful, although not too damaging.  Unfortunately, the parry left the boy open to a third shot that punctured his good shoulder, and a look of pain flashed across his normally stoic face.  Showing weakness.  It was a sign he was heading toward his breaking point.  But his breaking point hadn’t been reached yet, and he pushed forward with all the strength and light his body could muster.  His single-minded instinct driving him on: protect, defend, preserve.    

Leaping toward his target, he managed to close the gap between them before throwing up a reflective shield.  And not a split second too soon, the rest of the homing shots from the barrage met the shield, some of them spinning off and dissipating, some of them meeting the ground, but some of them at just the right angle reflecting back at the demon.  Facing an onslaught of his own making and an angelic blade, the demon desperately dodged while preparing to teleport.  The angel’s blade slashed through his sleeve, burning him with its holy light.  A cry tore through the fel being’s throat as one of his own shots made contact with his hand, knocking one of his weapons away.  In desperation, the portal he summoned was unstable and sloppy, giving the angel time to follow him through before he could close the gateway. 

Firing within close quarters was more difficult for the demon, but he knew he had to get the angel on the defensive.  His weapon, although mainly used for ranged attacks, had a row of sharp spikes protruding from the hilt and one large, bayonet-like blade on the front.  In a pinch, those spikes could be lethal for anyone who got too close.  And right now, the angel was bearing down on him like a god of death, blue eyes blazing with fury. 

Their blades clashed once, twice, thrice.  Sparks flew and arms ached from the reverberations.  On the fourth blow, their blades locked.  The demon put his full weight into pushing the angel back, the spikes on his weapon guard getting dangerously close to the angel’s abdomen.  Their faces inches apart, both could see the resolve in the other.  One dark, one light, but both willing to die in this fight.  Sacrifice and selfishness blended seamlessly into a whole.  The end was approaching.    

The demon grunted in satisfaction as the angel’s arms, weakened by the damage to his shoulder, finally gave out.  The boy’s blade fell, and the demon’s spikes carved a long slash down the boy’s side.  The demon drew his arm back for another strike.  Finally, the boy had to give ground or risk being impaled by the deadly bayonet. 

The demon’s eyes widened as he felt the bayonet sink deep into the flesh of his opponent.  The angel hadn’t moved, taking the full force of the strike directly.  Perhaps a mistake, brought about by weakness, had made the angel too slow to react.  Their position made it impossible for the angel to deal a similar fatal strike on his nemesis, so if this was some suicidal plan, it seemed an ill-conceived one. 

The demon’s confusion deepened further as he tried to pull back for a second strike but felt the angel’s hand grip his arm tightly, pulling them closer together.  The blade sank deeper into the angel’s stomach, bringing the two so close their noses almost touched.  It was morbidly intimate, in a way. 

The scent of blood was thick in the air.  A trickle of red made its way down the corner of the boy’s mouth, a visible sign of the damage.  But still, the boy smiled, displaying bloody teeth. 

Lips curved upwards as he screamed, “The darkness may destroy this body, but it will NEVER take my light!”

  

* * *

 

Riku stumbled into his apartment, fumbling around for a light switch and wincing when his hand finally made contact.  The brightness overwhelmed his aching head, making the pain a hundred times worse.  He only had about five minutes to get himself ready and out the door or he’d risk being late again.  Time to employ some of his famous multi-tasking skills, he thought. 

Rummaging around in his medicine cabinet yielded his toothbrush, toothpaste, and the coveted migraine pills.  He downed the recommended dosage and put the rest of the bottle in his pocket; he would almost certainly need more later if he wanted to finish his shift. 

Riku loaded up the toothbrush and managed to brush his teeth with one hand while running a comb through his hair with the other.  It was a little bit like the “pat your head while rubbing your belly” challenge, but Riku had gotten pretty good at this routine by now.  He was normally an organized person, but his schedule had been thrown off by the problems this year had brought.  He had to catch up all that lost time somewhere. 

He rinsed out his mouth and tied his hair back before moving to his wardrobe.  The clothes inside were hung up neatly, with shirts on the left and dress pants on the right.  His few pairs of dress shoes occupied space at the bottom of the wardrobe.  Riku picked out a white button-up, black pants, and a black vest.  The vest’s lining and top-stitching were a pretty aquamarine color that matched Riku’s eyes and provided just enough detail to keep the ensemble simple and classy while not falling into the realm of boring. 

Riku changed quickly and grabbed his keys and wallet before heading out the door, his head still pounding with each heartbeat.  He had a feeling that tonight was going to go _great_.  Silently sending up a prayer for strength to whatever celestial beings might be listening, Riku steeled himself for the night ahead. 

 

* * *

  

The demon found it impossible to either pull away from his opponent or to twist his blade deeper into angelic flesh, so steady was the angel’s grip on his arm.  The boy must have been channeling most of his remaining energy and magic into holding their position.  What was the goal here, and how much strength could be left in that petit body, the demon wondered.

The demon didn’t have much more than a few moments to ponder, however, because the angel suddenly pushed back, summoning a reflective shield as he moved.  In the split second that left the demon puzzled, his fate was decided.  It was too late to move, too late to dodge effectively.  His own weapon had been turned against him. 

_The clever little bastard_.  The demon only had time to think before the rain of projectiles hit his body.  The angel had taken a lethal hit to distract the demon from the remaining homing shots he had fired earlier and hide them from his view.  The bullets had continued tracking their target, the angel, until he reflected them with his shield.  Now they were milliseconds away from coming back to their creator. 

The bullets tore through the demon’s body, three hitting his core, one breaking his left wrist, another puncturing his right arm, and one heading straight for his head.  The demon managed to turn his head just in the nick of time so that the shot brushed past the scarred side of his face.  The strike was painful, maybe even lethal, and he knew he needed to retreat.  Dazed, the demon tried to open a portal, focusing on closing the entry side of the portal quickly so that there would be no chance the angel could follow him.  In his focus, he managed to leave the exit portal open a little too long.

As he came out of the opposite side of the portal, about twelve yards away from his previous position, he felt a pain stabbing into his ribcage.  Oh.  Wow, that hurt _a lot_.  It felt like dying, and the demon knew quite well how death should feel.  He looked down, taking in the sight of a glowing blade sticking out of his chest.  It was then that he realized his fatal mistake. 

“Should have seen it coming… You clever little sneak…”  He murmured, strength already fading.  The angel hadn’t followed him after all, as he had immediately assumed.  The demon had been so focused on getting away and not being followed that he had allowed the angel to see where he was planning on teleporting to.  The angel had thrown his blade with nearly perfect aim and timing, striking the demon directly in the chest. 

He was certain now that he was dying.  His mission had failed.  He would never make it back, but he could at least rest in the knowledge that he had finally taken down the angel.  One of his associates would take the light now that this guardian was dead and gone.  There was some small comfort in those thoughts as he faded away. 

The demon’s body slowly dissipated into dark smoke, leaving the angel alone on the battlefield, bloody and broken.  Now that the fight was over, and his adrenaline had started to drain away, the angel found his strength was suddenly gone.  Standing took more effort that he was capable of, so he fell to the ground in a heap of splayed wings and heavy limbs. 

_The light_ , he thought.  _I must make sure it’s safe_. 

He slowly made his way to the light, dragging his body across the ground.  The light was glowing softly, calling to him.  In a sheer act of willpower, the angel managed to stay conscious long enough to reach his destination.  Despite the pain wracking his body, the angel’s smile was genuine.  The light was safe; everything would be alright.  He reached out to touch it, fingers clumsy and tingling.  Then everything went black. 

 

* * *

 

Riku’s day was just getting worse.  His head wasn’t getting any better; if anything, it was feeling worse.  Keeping up his usual winning smile with customers was hard enough, but doing it while remembering every drink order, bantering, and occasionally flirting required herculean effort. 

He realized he was slipping when he dropped a glass, hands shaking too much to hold onto it.  The pretty redhead whose drink was now soaking the floor pouted at him. 

“Hey, what’s the matter with you?  You a junkie or something?  I know a guy who could set you up if you want.  And then we could head to your place afterwards.”

Her red lips parted, revealing a row of straight white teeth.  If he were to guess, Riku would have bet that her parents had bought those teeth and probably the lips too.  Typical rebellious white girl.  Riku wanted to tell her to fuck off, to take her drugs and her assumptions elsewhere, but he managed to bite his tongue despite the pain.  Anyway, he had better things to do, like trying to clean up this mess and serve the rest of his customers. 

But the pain in his head… it was so bad.  So intense, so biting.  He didn’t think it had ever hurt this much before.  He was going to be sick.  His brain would be melting out of his ears soon enough, he was sure of it.  If someone put him out of his misery right this second, his ghost wouldn’t even have been mad about it.  At least the suffering would stop. 

Riku felt the world spin around him but was hardly aware of it.  He was aware of nothing more than throbbing, aching pain and then the welcoming embrace of darkness. 


	2. Wishing Well

His eyelids felt heavy, almost like someone had glued them together, and just getting them open was a chore. As he tried to move, he found that every joint and muscle in his body ached terribly. The soreness extended all the way from his toes out to the tips of his wings. With some difficulty, he managed to prop himself up and survey the damage. Looking down at his body, it was clear to him that he had been in some kind of fight. Tender pink skin itched where it was freshly grown. It must have been a difficult battle, and he wondered how he had survived such severe injuries.

His ministrations turned to his wings next. He could tell that some patches of feathers were fresh, as if newly grown, perhaps where his wings had taken damage from whatever struggle he’d been in. Testing out his wings, he fluffed up the feathers and stretched each wing out to its full length. Their wingspan was over 4 meters wide, which was well over twice his height. His wings felt a little too foreign, a little too tight, but the soreness was definitely part of that. And they were in need of a good grooming. He took a moment to arrange his feathers properly, which alleviated some of his discomfort.

While he was tidying his feathers, he tried to remember where he was, what had caused the heaviness in his body, or even who he was. No specific memories were forthcoming. He tried to remember something, _anything_ else and came up blank except for two words, “Riku” and “Sora.”

 _Sora_. That was his name, he thought. _And Riku... Riku was?_

Sora looked up. The place he was in was white as far as the eye could see. His gaze focused in on the only other object nearby – a glowing orb, a soul, he remembered. _Riku_. The soul was Riku’s. At that moment, a flood of memories washed over him like waves crashing onto the shore.

He knew Riku, because Riku was his world. The end and the beginning, alpha and omega. Riku was his sole purpose.

He spent most of his time watching over Riku. Not that there was anything else to do here, but even if there had been, Sora would have gladly played guardian to Riku every minute he drew breath.

Riku must have been asleep now. Asleep, but not dreaming. By now, Sora could figure out a great deal about Riku by the way he appeared. When Riku was asleep, he sometimes appeared to Sora just as a small ball of light, which Sora knew was a manifestation of his soul. There were other times when only Riku’s soul was accessible, like when Riku was so sad and distraught that he closed himself off from everyone around him entirely. Sora never lost sight of Riku’s soul, but in those times, it was all he could do to will as much love and comfort as he could into the lonely soul. These occurrences used to be rare, but it seemed they had become more frequent recently. It was a source of great distress for Sora.

Most of the time, Sora could see Riku clearly and physically, although his ability to interact with Riku was largely limited to his dreams. However, there were rare occasions when Sora found himself able to actually reach out and touch Riku. Sora wasn’t sure what made him appear corporeal in those moments, but he always cherished those seconds of comfort.

On the other hand, Sora was decently sure that Riku had no idea that he existed at all. Sora liked to imagine that Riku sensed his presence on some level, and they did have lovely adventures in Riku’s dreams, but Riku showed no sign of being able to see Sora at all or remembering him after waking up. The dreams were relatively fun and harmless, usually. They could be playing swashbuckling, treasure-hunting pirates one night and Arthurian knights the next. Riku’s dreams often revolved around adventure, but there were some outliers that surprised Sora.

Once, Riku had dreamed he was a merman, and Sora had been shocked to find that he manifested in Riku’s dream sans wings but with a tail like a colorful reef fish. The blues and yellows of his tail swirled into an almost tattoo-like pattern, while Riku’s tail was a solid aquamarine. It was actually a bit embarrassing at first, swimming around like fishes playing at being mermen, but even Riku’s embarrassing dreams had a way of surprising Sora. In the end, they had to depose a corrupt king and free a mer-city trapped in martial law. Oh, and Riku ended up being the long-lost prince, so that kind of ruined the dark tone the dream took on toward the end. Sora tried not to think about that experience too often.

But now, Sora was more focused on getting a read on Riku’s soul than ruminating on dream adventures. The light was calm and even; he couldn’t sense any sadness or other negative emotions from within. Sora pursed his lips. Riku was almost certainly just in a deep sleep, so there was nothing to do but wait patiently. The angel kneeled down in front of the light and settled in for an indefinite wait. Rather than keep his mind idle while his body rested, he channeled serenity and comfort into Riku’s soul. Sora never knew if his efforts made a difference, but he was content to try just in case. He would try anything to make Riku safer and happier.

 

* * *

 

Riku woke to a steady beeping sound and the smell of antiseptic in the air. He glanced around the room, taking stock of his surroundings. Television, bed, monitors, IV. Kairi sitting in a chair beside him, looking tired and upset. _Great_.

He was in the hospital, then, probably from passing out again. He was going to get such an earful from Kairi. Maybe he could pretend to be asleep for just a little longer and buy himself some time. Luck wasn’t on his side though, because Kairi must have already spotted his movements. She was at full attention in a heartbeat, bolting upright and hurrying out the room. He could hear her calling for a nurse in the hallway. Riku sighed.

His brain felt slightly foggy, but other than that, he felt fine physically. Perhaps that was due to the good night’s sleep he’d been able to get for once, if the amount of light streaming through the cracked blinds was anything to go by. The last thing he could remember was trying to bartend with a wicked migraine. No, actually, there was something else. The white walls of the hospital room brought back a flash of something – a white room, like this one. A boy, blue eyes bright but narrowed in pain. Bloodied wings and….

It was gone. This always happened with his dreams. He could never remember them past a few blurry details in the first moments after waking. He’d learned in psychology that it was normal for people to never remember their dreams but that keeping a sleep diary could help. Intrigued, he’d tried lucid dreaming exercises and a sleep journal for about two weeks as a personal experiment. The lucid dreaming never seemed to work, but even if it had, he couldn’t remember any of it even with the help of a sleep journal. The most he ever got was two sentences on a page before everything faded away. The final straw for that project was a journal page about _mermaids_ of all things. If that was the kind of stuff Riku was dreaming about, he thought he was probably better off not knowing.

He was drawn out of his musings by Kairi’s sudden reappearance in his room, accompanied by two hospital staff members. The woman on her right had a kindly look to her face and was wearing a lab coat with a nametag that read “Dr. Aerith Gainsborough.” The blue-eyed, blonde-haired man to her left was wearing scrubs, probably a nurse if Riku had to guess. _Hot nurse, perfect, sign me up for another week_ , Riku thought.

“How are you feeling today, Riku?” Dr. Gainsborough questioned him.

Riku drew his eyes away from the “hot nurse” to meet Dr. Gainsborough’s gaze. “I feel fine, actually. I mean, I don’t know too much about why I’m here, but I don’t have any physical complaints.”

Dr. Gainsborough frowned. “Hmmm. Let nurse Cloud take out your IV so we can have you try to walk around a little bit. Then let us know if anything is bothering you, even just a little bit.”  
The hot nurse came over to him and gently removed his IV, taping a piece of gauze over the spot it left on his arm. He helped Riku up, steadying him for a moment before withdrawing his support. Riku felt a little stiff at first, but soon he found it easy to move around. It felt completely normal.

“I feel fine, doctor. So can anyone tell me what happened? How did I get here?”

The doctor looked pensive for a moment. “I’ll let your friend fill you in. Cloud, would you be so kind as to print out his summary test results?”

Riku had honestly been surprised that Kairi had managed to stay out of the way and quiet the whole time. She was fiercely protective when it came to her friends, and Riku had fallen into that category for 15 years now.

“So… Kairi?” Riku asked, turning to the girl and grimacing at the positively murderous look on her face.

Kairi looked like a volcano about to explode any moment. “Oh, I don’t know Riku. I guess from now on, when my ‘friend’ tells me they feel ‘totally fine’ and there’s ‘nothing wrong at all’ I should just assume they’re a lying bastard.”

Her prolific use of air-quotes made Riku cringe. She was _beyond_ pissed.

“Sorry Kai. I’m really sorry you’re in this position again. I just had a headache... and I didn’t think… I just wanted to make it through the night.”

Kairi looked slightly mollified by his apologizes, but she still maintained her glare at him. “Well, you didn’t make it through the night, or Sunday, or Monday, or Tuesday for that matter either. You passed out at work, and you’ve been asleep for three days, Riku. You scared the living hell out of me. I’ve been skipping work and class since I heard you were in here. We didn’t know when you would wake up, and that’s _if_ you woke up at all.”

Riku went pale at the revelation. He’d been unconscious for three days? How had he not known? Normally, his spells of passing out were brief enough that he could imagine narcoleptic tendencies or exhaustion even if doctors couldn’t provide a cause, but three days was inexcusable. He needed to talk to the doctor.

“Dr. Gainsborough, could I speak to you alone?” Kairi’s frown depended at his question, but she just nodded and left the room. There would be more time to yell at him later.  
“Doctor, did the tests show anything?”

Dr. Gainsborough sighed. “Honestly Riku, we weren’t able to find anything. Your results were well within the realm of normality. Still, what you’re going through isn’t normal. Your friend filled me in on your history, and I think it’s time you go see a specialist. I’m referring you to the best in the country, so please make your appointment as soon as possible. The waiting list is quite long, and we don’t want you having any more episodes before we can get you seen.”  
“Thank you, doctor.” Riku was genuinely grateful. “So when can I go home?”

The doctor pursed her lips. “Well, I’d like to keep you just a little longer for observation, and Cloud’s going to explain your test results to you, but afterwards we can discharge you. Will your friend be driving you home?”

Oh god. Riku wasn’t going to have eardrums after being in close quarters with Kairi.

“I guess so. She’s scary though, couldn’t you convince Cloud to give me a ride?”

The doctor smiled ruefully. “We each love in our own way, Riku. Your friend is fierce like a lioness whose cub is threatened. She wants to protect you, but she can’t fight what’s hurting you.” Dr. Gainsborough got up to leave, pausing at the doorway. “I wish you well, Riku.”

And then she was gone, leaving Riku alone with his thoughts.

 

* * *

 

Sora came out of his trance quickly. Riku’s image was clear now, and the room around him was slowly coming into focus. Although Riku’s eyes were closed, his body was stirring, as if in between sleep and waking.

Sora frowned as he took in Riku’s position. He had seen Riku like this once before, and it hadn’t been pleasant. He knew that this place was called a “hospital,” where sick people came to get better. The thought of Riku being sick made Sora’s heart ache. Sora was supposed to be Riku’s protector, to keep him safe from sickness and danger. But here Riku was, his body looking too pale and weak for the angel’s liking.

Sora went to brush his hand against Riku’s forehead, and to his surprise, he felt contact with Riku’s skin. Riku’s face was warm and soft against Sora’s fingers. Feeling a little guilty for touching Riku like this while he was asleep, Sora moved to hold Riku’s hand, being careful not to jostle him too much.

The angel was content to stay like that for as long as he could, relishing the contact with his charge. But all too soon he felt the sensations slipping away. He knew he wouldn’t be able to interact with this world for much longer. It was time for Riku to wake up.

Bringing their foreheads together, Sora willed light magic into his next words. “Awaken,” he whispered softly, hoping the spell had the power to reach the sleeping boy.

As Sora’s grip on Riku’s hand faded away completely, he saw Riku’s eyelids flutter. The spell had worked then, and Riku should wake shortly.

Sora stepped back as Riku’s aquamarine eyes fluttered open. The silver-haired boy looked around groggily before his eyes settled on Sora. The angel’s heart started to race before he realized that Riku’s eyes weren’t focused on him but looking past him, to the red-haired girl seated behind the angel.

Sora’s emotions bounced between disappointment and relief. He had no idea what he’d do if Riku were able to see him while mentally cognizant. Would Riku be afraid of him? The angel feared being unwanted, sent away and robbed of his purpose. But if Riku could see him, the possibilities were endless. Talking to Riku… being his friend… it was almost too much for Sora to imagine.

But Riku couldn’t see him, that much was clear. The angel had to content himself with assuming that would always be the case. He wished he could do more than just sit back and listen as Riku was tended to by the hospital staff and Kairi. But he knew his place, and he took his role very seriously. Being there to protect Riku’s spirit and comfort his soul was all he had. Riku was all he had. Losing that was not an option.

 

* * *

 

Surprisingly, Kairi was silent through the drive back to Riku’s apartment. It was awkward, and Riku almost would have preferred to get the reaming out he had anticipated. She had quieted down once he told her about the specialist, offering her the business card Cloud had given him as proof. Kairi snatched the card out of his hand, immediately dialing the number and putting on her best impression of Riku’s mother. After a few minutes on the phone, her “son,” Riku, had an appointment scheduled for winter break. Winter break was still about two months away, but it was the first appointment they had available that didn’t wreak havoc on Riku’s work and school schedule. Riku sighed. There went his vacation plans.

He guessed that Dr. Gainsborough had been right; Kairi was upset because she cared about him, and she needed to be able to feel like she was helping in some way to calm that anxiety. If babying him like this made her feel better, then Riku would deal with the small annoyances.  
The two arrived at Riku’s apartment just as it was starting to get dark outside. Riku was famished, and he assumed Kairi hadn’t had much to eat either while at the hospital. The most they had in the way of food for visitors was a Starbucks in the first floor lobby and a few vending machines. It wasn’t exactly the food of champions.

Kairi hung her bag and coat up in the hallway before following Riku into the kitchen. She glowered at him before grabbing his arm and physically dragging him out of the room. “Oh no,” she lectured, “You won’t be doing any cooking tonight. You need a shower and change of clothes first, and then you’re going to sit your ass down and relax. You’ve had enough excitement for one week.”

Property chastened, Riku sat down on one of the bar stools in his small dining room, allowing him to watch Kairi work over the counter top.

“There should be some chicken and veggies in the fridge, I’m not really sure what else. I went shopping on Wednesday but didn’t stock up too much,” he mentioned, trying to be helpful.

“Hmmm,” Kairi replied, distracted. “Do you have any clean pans?”

“Yeah, they should all be clean. Try the cupboard to your right.”

“Cupboard’s empty.”

“Oh.” Riku didn’t know what else to say. He always cleaned his dishes after cooking; he hated how sticky and caked on food got when it was left overnight. To be fair, he had been feeling off lately, so it was within the realm of possibilities that he was misremembering cleaning up. Sure enough, a glance at the sink revealed a heap of unwashed dishes. He didn’t even have to ask to know that Kairi wouldn’t let him assist her in tidying up.

“So,” Kairi questioned as she washed plates, “You going senile in your old age or are you just becoming a messy bastard?”

“Dunno. I figure it’s you rubbing off on me.”

That brought out a smile from Kairi, the first one Riku had seen on her face all day, actually. She was gorgeous when she smiled, he thought. There was something almost like déjà vu in the moment they were sharing. Perhaps not déjà vu, Riku realized, but more like the feeling of what could have been in another life. He had been friends with Kairi ever since she had moved to the small island where he was born and raised. There were few families with children his age at the time, and fewer still were interested in adventures like exploring and building rafts. Kairi was a welcome exception, and they had quickly become fast friends.

Growing up, he had always thought that he would end up marrying her. It was a childish assumption – that belief that loving someone with all your heart in one way meant loving them in every way. Age had broken the illusion. Although she grew into a lovely young woman with a grace and strong-willed spirit that went beyond the physical, Riku learned that she wasn’t right for him, nor he for her.

He could imagine them now, playing fiancé to one another, perhaps even husband and wife. Kairi washing dishes with her hair tied back in a messy bun, grey sweater hugging her body in all the right places. It screamed of domesticity. But they both knew better. They would be lifelong friends, but lovers… no. Never lovers. That option was off the table, and they were both happier for it.

Kairi finished up the last of the dishes and went to get the aforementioned food out of the fridge. She swung open the door and stared at the contents for a few moments before turning to Riku.

“Hey Riku, there’s nothing in your fridge. It’s totally empty.”

“Huh?” Riku responded, perplexed. “I know I should still have groceries from Wednesday. You’re not looking hard enough.”

Kairi rolled her eyes before stepping to the side, motioning at the open fridge. “Come see for yourself. There’s literally nothing in here. I washed all those dishes for nothing.”

From where he was sitting, the fridge did appear to be empty, but Riku still insisted on getting up and inspecting it for himself. She was right, and upon inspection of the freezer, they found that to be empty as well.

“I’m not crazy,” Riku deadpanned. “It must have been a break in. The Hamburgler broke into my apartment, stole my food, and messed up all my dishes. What a world we live in.” He shook his head dramatically. Kairi just sighed.

“Looks like I’m getting takeout. Is Thai fine with you?”

“Yeah, get me the usual. Thanks in advance.” Riku imagined his puppy dog pout was the only thing between him and a serious tongue lashing. In truth, it was probably the fact that he had just been in the hospital for three days that made Kairi abnormally forgiving. Still, he wasn’t going to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Kairi just rolled her eyes again before retrieving her keys, bag, and coat. “Well, I’m off. See you in a few.”

“Later.”

Riku supposed he might as well take a shower and get changed before Kairi came back. Moving to his bathroom, he undressed and turned on the shower head, letting the water warm up before stepping under the stream.

“Is she gone yet?” A shock of red hair and green eyes appeared in Riku’s view as a man pulled back the shower curtain, making Riku jump out of his skin.

“What the hell?” Riku yelled, reaching for a towel and hastily covering himself, ignoring the fact that he was still standing under the water. “Axel, how the hell did you get into my apartment, and why the hell are you in my shower?”

Axel just shot him the perfected shit-eating grin. “Oh you know me, impeccable timing as always.”

Riku turned off the water and stepped out of the shower dripping wet. He tried his best to shake as much water as possible on Axel, because he _definitely_ deserved to be as wet and miserable as Riku was. “That actually explains nothing, thanks. Now get out and let me put clothes on. And wait, did you eat my food?”

Axel did his best to look innocent. It wasn’t very convincing. “Well, I came to check up on you when you didn’t make the Sunday meeting. We did the ritual without you, by the way.”

Riku looked exasperated. “Okay, we’ll talk about that when I’m done changing. OUT.”

“If you say so.” Axel acquiesced, finally giving Riku some privacy.

Riku stepped out a few minutes later, fully clothed in a t-shirt and plaid pajama bottoms.

“Okay, now we can talk like normal humans. Or rather, _I_ can talk like a normal human and _you_ can continue to be the dickhead you always are.”

Axel just raised an eyebrow at that. “Fair. Anyway, I came to see what was up and met Kairi picking up some stuff. You know she hates me, right?”

Riku snorted. Yes, he knew. Kairi’s headstrong personality often clashed with Axel’s, and she was convinced that Axel was a terrible influence on Riku. She was probably right. Scratch that, she was _definitely_ right.

“So anyway,” Axel continued, “I may have had to use torture, but eventually she told me where you were. And I figured that since you were holed up in the hospital for who knew how long, I might as well make sure the facilities were well maintained. Oh, and I tested the food to make sure it wasn’t poisoned. Just looking out for you.”

“Yeah, I think what you mean is that you came looking for a place to crash away from your roommate and you broke in. You’re an ass, you know that?”

“You’re embellishing a lot here.” Axel smirked. “Innocent until proven guilty. Let’s not forget the golden rule.”

“Whatever.” Riku was tired of arguing, and besides, they both knew the truth. Axel just loved to drag out the most absurd arguments, which usually meant that he won by virtue of exhausting his opponent’s ability to give a shit. “Tell me about the ritual.”

“Yes, that.” Axel’s face grew serious. “I know you really wanted to do it, but we had a lot of people show up so I couldn’t hold it for you. Anyway, we didn’t get who we wanted.”

“Huh.” Confusion passed over Riku’s face. “I thought the others said that Sunday was the day we’d be able to reach him.”

“Yeah, I had Zexion check and it was definitely supposed to be Sunday. But he didn’t show up at all, or if he did, he was doing a damn good job of pretending to be Pence’s grandmother.”

Riku snorted. “Pence’s grandma? Are you serious? I bet that kid had a heart attack.”

“Yeah, it was the worst. So boring… but Zexion was almost certain it was her. She knew a lot of personal stuff. Pence verified it was true.”

“So is that all?” Riku couldn’t keep the disappointment from his voice. “Are we going to try again?”

“Weeeeeeell…” Axel leaned in, clearly trying to build suspense. “I haven’t told you about the best part yet. Towards the end, the old woman started to get… different. Her voice changed and her energy really spiked. It even freaked out Zexion. So she smashed some equipment and blew out some candles, right? That cleared out most of the room. Newbies always run when the spirits get frisky. But then she told me, Zex, and Hayner that “he” still wanted to speak with us. But we need to bring more power next time, like we didn’t bring the right people. That’s what she said.” As he finished, Axel stepped back, closely watching Riku’s reaction.

Riku frowned. “So where do we get more power? She didn’t ask for anyone specifically, did she?”

“Nope, she didn’t ask for anyone by name,” Axel replied, “But Zexion said you were the only one missing, so he thinks she meant you.”

“Me?” Riku was dumfounded. “I’ve never manifested a single shred of psychic energy. Zexion’s tested me with all that stupid equipment he has. Don’t get me wrong, I want to try, but it can’t be me.”

“I know, I think you’re a loser too.” Axel snickered. “Zexion suggested that we try again this Sunday. It’ll just be you, me, Zex, and Hayner this time. The newbies’ energy just threw everything off, and it’s about time we got serious.”

Riku nodded. “Okay. Sunday it is. Now get out of my apartment before Kairi comes back.”

Luckily, Axel cleared out pretty quickly, probably driven more by his secret fear of Kairi than by respect for Riku’s wishes. Axel may have played the tough guy, but Riku had seen a side of Axel that not many had been privy to. He hid them well, the protective, caring, and brave tendencies. If Riku were ever really in trouble, he knew he could count on Axel to give everything for his friend. Though that didn’t stop him from being a colossal pain in the ass sometimes.

Riku sighed and settled down to wait for Kairi. He just wanted to down some delicious Thai food and then curl up in his bed and sleep. Mysteries and spirits and school work could all wait until the morning.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have no beta reader, so any mistakes are my own. I apologize for any errors that I wasn't able to catch while proof-reading.
> 
> I hope you guys enjoy this chapter; I had hoped to get it out sooner but some small delays kept me posting it when I wanted to. Most of the next chapter is already written, so hopefully I can get that one posted before too long!
> 
> I appreciate criticism as well as other feedback! Let me know what you'd like to see in the future and I'll try to work it in! :)


	3. The Dreaming Machine

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Exposition, exposition, and more exposition! I tried to avoid it, but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn't space it out like I wanted to. So enjoy about a hundred times more exposition than anyone ever wanted in a fic. I really am sorry.

Although Riku wasn’t happy about the circumstances, he was glad to be free from school and work for the rest of the week. The Student Health Center had contacted him and insisted on a check up, which hadn’t turned up anything unusual. Regardless, the doctors advised him to take at least the rest of the week off and made it clear that a longer break would be arranged if he felt he needed it.

He was able to spend some of that time relaxing, but most of it was used to catch up on school work he’d gotten behind on. Kairi insisted on coming over each afternoon to make dinner and do chores for him. While Riku appreciated the sentiment, it seemed really strange having someone try to do his laundry for him.

By the time Saturday rolled around, he found his apprehension had built to a point where it was difficult to focus on anything else. Sunday was right around the corner, and with Sunday came Axel’s meeting. Axel always held events on Sundays; Riku figured it must have something to do with perverting the Sabbath. That just screamed Axel.

Their group was officially known as the Demonology club, but Axel was quick to correct anyone who associated them with worshippers of Judeo-Christian demons. The club existed to investigate and experience spirits that interacted with the human world, and they based the name in the archaic sense of the word “demon” rather than the modern connotation. None of the members were making blood sacrifices to Satan or anything, although newcomers always seemed to expect that. Internally, they simply called themselves “The Organization.”

Axel was the president and founder, and he’d recruited Zexion early on through the promise of paranormal research. Zexion was the club’s archivist as well as a walking encyclopedia on all kinds of spirits. His depth of knowledge never failed to surprise Riku. Hayner was another core member of the Organization, but his interest was more rooted in psychic energy and spiritual power than academic pursuits.

For his part, Riku had initially been completely disinterested in joining Axel’s little group. He’d never really believed in spirits ever since he’d been old enough to realize the stories of guardian angels his parents told him had been made up. Axel had tried countless times to recruit him without success. It was a battle of stubbornness that neither of them had been willing to concede. It was only about a month ago that Axel had finally found the scoop that finally drew Riku in.

The threads leading up to these events had started forming nearly a year ago. A body, a murder, a mystery… all the things that Riku was powerless to resist had come to light. A little less than a year ago, human remains had been found near one of the older buildings on campus. Archeology students had been excavating around the building’s foundation to preserve any historical material as it was scheduled to be restored. The building had originally been built as an Indian boy’s school – one of the first in the country, in fact. However, the remains had been found at such a shallow depth and in such condition that they had immediately realized that the bones couldn’t be hundreds of years old like the rest of the artifacts from the site.

Local papers had reported that after forensic analysis, the police were treating the case as a recent homicide. They’d combed missing persons reports, taken DNA evidence, and urged anyone with information about the crime to come forward. Despite law enforcement’s best efforts, the body had never been identified. The case had shaken the community on campus and beyond. Everyone’s sense of safety seemed to be shattered, knowing that walking back late from a party could be the last thing they ever did, and many extracurricular events petered out.

Riku had been fascinated by the case, and that fascination turned into obsession when it spilled over into his work. On weekdays, he had an internship with a private investigation firm in town. Unfortunately, he wasn’t he cool kind of PI, the kind that followed people around, took photos for blackmail, and engaged in all sorts of intrigue and espionage. Real life private investigation was mostly limited to performing background checks, and the company he worked for had a seemingly endless supply of government contracts and business work checking up on people’s felony records and credit history. It was extremely boring, if he was honest, and the perks were few and far between.

Riku’s first experience with real detective work finally came after the police and other special investigations groups had given up on identifying the victim’s body. Riku’s employer had been awarded a small contract to look into cold cases, but the complete lack of evidence in that case in particular meant that no one was very hopeful for results. Riku had been assigned to work on the case as a side project, but his boss had made it clear that he had allocated only a few hours a week to look into it.

Despite his boss’s warnings, Riku had wasted plenty of time at his desk going through missing persons that fit into the vague description in the police report. He’d first looked into disappearances from the city within the last year or so then widened his search to encompass the entire state. By the time he was done, he had a long list of possibilities but no way of finding out for sure who the victim might have been. He’d even interviewed families of possible missing persons in a last ditch effort to find anything that would provide him with a lead. He would never forget the light in each family’s eyes, the hope that they still clung to, and the complete faith that they would see their loved ones again.

But Riku was not the angel of mercy they were looking for, and in a way, the experience broke Riku. He felt like a charlatan, feeding people’s optimism when in reality most of the missing people on his list were dead. It was just simple statistics. He couldn’t help but wonder if his purpose was really to provide someone the closure they deserved or if it was a selfish curiosity driving him.

He went for weeks without any more clues to the victim’s identity, and without any leads, he had nothing on the killer. As his headaches began to rob him of more and more free time, Riku’s dedication to the mystery had eventually faded away.

And then Axel had come to him several months after the body had appeared, practically thrumming with excitement. It was past midnight, and Riku had promptly closed the door in Axel’s face. But Axel was a determined bastard, and Riku had no choice but to acquiesce to stop Axel from waking up his neighbors.

Sitting down over cups of coffee, Axel had tried to tell him a bunch of nonsense about his communication with spirits, and Riku had tried to throw him out all over again. But Axel was a heavy bastard and also in shape, so Riku lost that battle. Sighing, he resolved himself to sitting through Axel’s fantastical lecture.

The spirits were in turmoil, Axel reported. For the past several weeks, they’d been skittish, perhaps even afraid. The club’s regular contacts were disappearing, and the times they were able to successfully establish communication, the spirits had been less than forthcoming with information. Any inquiry into what was happening in the realm beyond the physical was met with silence or aggression. But after weeks of work, Axel had finally had a breakthrough.

The redhead had been able to contact one of their regulars, a spirit who called herself Lucrecia Crescent. And although Lucrecia had been hesitant to speak to him, he’d eventually convinced her to share what was going on. And Axel had come straight from that meeting to tell Riku the juicy details.

There was a new player in the game. A spirit had appeared: strong, intelligent, and full of vengeance. He was shaping his new order, calling wayward souls to heel under his command. It wasn’t unusual for young spirits to have a kind of explosive strength and power driven on by rage. Especially for those who suffered violent deaths, the fresh memories of their passing could fuel a level of destructiveness that was unparalleled by older ghosts and shades. But what Axel learned was that this one terrified the others for a different reason; where older sentient spirits could build up a lasting strength in will and intellect, this spirit surpassed all others. His ability to use calculated planning to organize and control the others was almost human-like. Those were the spirit’s words, not his, Axel clarified.

When Axel pressed further about the identity of the spirit in question, Lucrecia had no answers. Whether this was because she didn’t know or was under some kind of order or silence, he couldn’t tell.

At the time, Riku had thought this was all too far-fetched to be reality. He believed that Axel saw things. Perhaps shaped by childhood experiences, a too active memory, and a side of LSD… Axel’s beliefs were genuine enough. The fervor with which he shared this information made a part of Riku want to trust Axel despite how unbelievable everything sounded. But in the end, Riku had told Axel to go home, get some sleep, and never talk to him about it again.

Riku didn’t hear anything from Axel about the paranormal for another few months and prematurely assumed he was free from that crazy train. One Sunday, however, he came home to the trio of Hayner, Zexion, and Axel sitting in his living room. Finding out how they had gotten into his apartment had been his first priority, to which Axel had merely replied, “skills.” Lockpicking was probably among the least worrisome of the redhead’s so-called skills, so Riku let it go.

He had been in the process of dialing the local police to come haul his unwelcome guests away when Zexion spilled the beans. They’d been invited to talk to the one, the leader. The spirit mastermind. The murdered boy, Zexion had said. The timing and location were too perfect. This ghost had to be linked to the object of Riku’s fascination. They all knew how much Riku was still bothered by the unsolved mystery, so they’d come to him to see if he was interested in joining them.

Of course, Riku’s curiosity had been peaked just enough to pull him down the rabbit hole of the paranormal. His involvement with the demonology club had been casual at first, but after seeing some of their practices from séances to divinations, he began to develop a genuine interest in explaining what he was seeing.

And now, the time for their meeting with the so-called ghostly leader, the alleged murdered boy, was approaching. Observing was still about all Riku was comfortable with, but Axel had made it clear that he had to participate this time, perhaps it was even a requirement for the spirit to meet with them. Riku felt apprehension coil in his stomach.

This was all about finding justice, peace of mind, and closure, Riku tried to convince himself. There was nothing to be afraid of. His own mind wasn’t the enemy here. All his other sources had been exhausted and he was just desperate enough for answers that he was willing to try it Axel’s way. If this led to another dead end, then so be it. At least he could say he’d tried everything.

Although Riku knew there was absolutely nothing left to find through conventional means, he resigned himself to going over what he already knew again. Riku was nothing if not well-prepared, and he figured that was the only way to add legitimacy to this whole thing. If the spirit revealed details that other members of the group couldn’t possible know, maybe that would lend credibility to whatever information he learned. Although Riku wasn’t sure what it would take to fully convince him that ghosts and the like did exist, this could be a start.

Riku sat down in front of his computer with a bowl of instant ramen and got to work. He usually preferred to cook pretty healthy meals, but today was one of those lazy junk food days that occasionally crept up on him. It wasn’t like he had to keep up his figure for anyone, so he didn’t see any harm in indulging now and then. The carbs in his stomach and comfy computer chair soon had him dozing off at his desk, and it wasn’t long before Riku’s body sprawled across his keyboard, fast asleep.

 

* * *

 

Sora leaned over Riku’s shoulder, taking in his charge’s peaceful face. The brunette didn’t often get to see Riku like this, with eyes closed in gentle repose and shoulders free from tension. Riku worked too hard in Sora’s opinion, and if the angel had any say in the matter, Riku would be taking much more time off to relax and recover. An image flickered through Sora’s mind – an image of Sora as a human, presenting Riku with dinner and a massage after a long day’s work. Of Sora comforting Riku and tucking him into bed, lips brushing against the silver haired man’s forehead.

Despite the warmth Sora felt in his chest, he tried to dismiss the pleasant thoughts. That sort of thing simply wasn’t possible. This was all the existence the angel knew and all he would ever know. Being Riku’s silent comfort and hidden shield was his destiny, and he was proud of his purpose. He wouldn’t want it any other way. Sora could almost make himself believe that was true.

The angel’s attention was pulled back to reality as he noticed his charge shiver slightly. Sora had spent enough time watching Riku to know just from the way he curled his toes if he was getting uncomfortably chilly. Riku always kept his apartment a little too cold to be comfortable in the winter months but passed it off as saving money whenever Kairi complained.

With a gentle flap of his wings, Sora descended from his position seated on the desk next to Riku’s still form before making his way over to Riku’s couch. The angel let his hand hover over a folded blue fleece blanket, hesitant in his attempt to touch it. He wondered if he’d be corporeal enough to pick up the object or if his arm would pass through it as usual. Perhaps if he concentrated hard enough, he’d see better results. Reaching down, Sora felt the soft fabric of the blanket meet his fingertips. It was probably luck, but the angel still felt a sense of triumph wash over him.

Sora clutched the blanket in his arms as if he was afraid it would slip through his fingers any moment. Thankfully, the blanket stayed tangible long enough for the angel to carry it over to Riku, drape it over his shoulders, and tuck the sides into the chair. He really tried to resist the urge to run his fingers through Riku’s hair, but his naughtier side won out in the end. Riku’s hair was soft like spun silk and surprisingly delicate against Sora’s calloused hands.

On some level, it felt like a violation of privacy to touch Riku and his things while he was resting. Guilt had Sora pulling his hand back quickly but not before he got a glimpse of what was on Riku’s computer screen.

Sora’s breath caught in his throat as he read over the words. Yet again, Riku was delving into things that were better left alone with this murder case. The silver haired man had a knack for getting drawn into mysteries and conflict that were none of his business. Sora didn’t like it one bit; anything that put his light in danger concerned him deeply. The angel had hoped the whole murder affair would fade over time, but here Riku was diving into it again. The man was persistent to a fault.

Even more worrying was how distant Riku was becoming lately. His physical form usually only faded from Sora when he was in a deep, dreamless sleep, but the angel was losing touch with his charge at the strangest of times recently. He couldn’t help but feel that he was missing important parts of Riku’s life, and the thought that perhaps Riku was doing something that blocked his guardian angel out hurt Sora deeply.

The brunette lifted himself up onto the desk and settled down next to Riku’s still form. His brow furrowed in contemplation as he weighed his options. He was still terribly afraid of communicating with his charge, but perhaps one day it would be necessary. Troubling times called for drastic measures, after all. Making a snap decision, Sora picked up Riku’s notebook and pen. He never stayed corporeal for longer than a few minutes, so he knew he had little time to come up with something.

After a moment of consideration, Sora ended up scribbling down a quick drawing of two figures. The sketch was far from perfect, but it was the best the angel could do given how quickly he completed it. The drawing was supposed to be a winged creature standing guard over a human – a representation of Sora and Riku – but the brunette wasn’t sure how recognizable it would be to Riku when he woke up. The picture was a far cry from the image that the angel had in his head, but he was a fighter and a guardian, not an artist. To add a little clarity, he wrote their names above the respective figures. He thought about trying to fix the image, but before he could do anything else, the notebook slipped from his grasp.

A tingling started at the base of Sora’s spine and slowly crawled its way up to his wings. Sora knew what the feeling meant; Riku had started dreaming, and soon enough the angel would be pulled into the dream world with him. The familiar sensation of falling consumed Sora, and he closed his eyes and embraced the thrill of his world slipping away. 

 

* * *

 

Sora opened his eyes and took in the scene before him, his gaze roving over the vision of opulence. They were in a castle, he guessed, perhaps influenced by a fantasy spin on medieval architecture. The room around him was massive, with high vaulted ceilings and stained glass windows tinting the light a variety of colors. A velvety, extravagant red carpet ran through the center of the room up to a raised dais. On the dais, a grand throne stood like a sentinel above everything else. This must be the throne room, Sora noted. He cast his eyes around the room in an attempt to locate Riku, but he couldn’t find his target among the throngs of people obscuring his view.

Sora was standing a little way away from the dais, mingling with the crowd of nobles around him. He could feel the weight of a sword belt around his waist, and a quick look down confirmed that the sword sheathed as his side was indeed the same sword he wielded in his usual form, which he’d affectionately named “Oathkeeper.” The sword had become a sort of companion to him over time, so he was glad whenever it was incorporated into Riku’s dream world.

The angel frowned a little as he took in his outfit; he was clad in a long-sleeved fitted silver brocade tunic with a high collar that itched the back of his neck. White breeches complemented the tunic and a pair of leather boots reached his mid-calf. The length of the tunic, tightness of his pants, and style of his boots were all terribly impractical for fighting. At least he had legs this time and not a fish tail, Sora supposed. Sometimes one had to be grateful for small mercies.

Horns sounded as the double doors into the throne room swung open, and Sora’s attention was immediately drawn to the figures that entered. A short procession of armored men was followed by an old man wearing a long robe and mitre and carrying a crosier. The man’s appearance was almost papal and his gait painfully slow. The angel shuffled from foot to foot, anxious for something interesting to happen.

Finally, the person Sora was waiting for came into view. Blue eyes widened in disbelief as Sora took in Riku’s appearance. Riku was beautiful and elegant in a way that stole the angel’s breath away. The man’s silver hair was longer than in real life, falling in full waves to the middle of his back. His long, pale blue robe with azure and silver embroidery was relatively simple, but the simplicity of the ensemble allowed Riku to stand out rather than having the clothes wear him. The way he bore himself as he strode up to the throne was nothing short of regal.

Sora cheeks turned a rosy hue as he realized that their ensembles matched in a way. Although he couldn’t be sure because of the distance between them, he thought that the deep blue of the detailing on Riku’s clothes looked suspiciously similar to the color of his eyes and the silver of his tunic seemed identical to the embroidery of Riku’s robe. Whether this was by accident or by design, the angel didn’t know.

Riku stopped at the center of the dias, and the old man began to speak. Sora drowned out most of the speech in favor of watching ( _not staring at_ , he told himself) his charge. Even if he had been staring a little bit, he had good reason… just because they were in a dream didn’t mean they were safe. The extra attention was absolutely necessary. It was probably at least partially true, which helped assuage the guilty feeling in the pit of Sora’s stomach.

He distantly registered mention of the passing of the old king and the ascension of the new one, prince Riku. King Riku now, Sora mentally corrected. A smile crossed the brunette’s face as he thought about how much the narrative of this dream would have embarrassed Riku in real life.

Although Sora wasn’t paying attention, he realized the old man must have finished when the room filled with applause and cheers and a crown was brought out and placed upon Riku’s head. The brunette tried to maintain his position as the crowd pushed in closer to the dais, but he found his vision obscured by the excited throng.

He could hear the threads of conversation above and soon Riku’s voice was beseeching the crowd for silence. The old man spoke again, and this time Sora strained his ears to make up for his lack of visual contact.

“Now it is time for you to select your shield, your majesty. This shield will be bound to you and share your strength as is the tradition of all the kings of your line. Choose wisely, as this shield will be with you for as long as you both remain whole and hale.”

Sora wished he had wings in this dream so he could fly above all the people and catch a glimpse of what was going on. Why was Riku choosing a shield, and what kind of shield would he pick? Dream logic was often fuzzy at best and the shield might mean nothing at all, but that didn’t stop Sora’s curiosity from spiking.

His confusion deepened when he managed to elbow people out of his way enough to see Riku descend from his position on the platform to mingle with the crowd. As he moved, the spectators parted like water, immediately acknowledging his authority and bending to it.

The king kept walking until he was directly in front of Sora. The brunette wasn’t sure if he should follow the others and get out of the way, take a knee, or stay still. He settled on a combination of the former options as he attempted an awkward bow and made to step to the side.

Riku’s grip on the angel’s arm kept him in position. The king’s aquamarine eyes danced in mirth and Sora felt his heart flutter at the look only he was privy to. Riku opened his mouth to speak and the rest of the room melted away. It was as if they were the only two in the whole universe.

“Sora.” Riku said, his voice gentle with a touch of nervousness. “I choose you. I would be honored if you would be my shield. If you wish it, I would be pleased to bind our strength, our magicks for as long as we both live.”

Sora marveled at the other man’s words. Not only did Riku know his name, but he could imagine from the other’s words that Riku really _knew_ him. The angel wondered if that could be possible. Perhaps they had fallen into his dream instead of Riku’s, he thought. But Sora couldn’t probe further because the silver-haired man was looking at him expectantly, waiting for a response to his request.

“Why ask when you could command, my liege?” Sora was surprised at his own boldness; he realized a touch too late that his words could be seen as insubordinate.

“One can command a great many things, but devotion, loyalty, and love cannot be ordered. They must be earned, and I can only hope I have earned yours. Now the choice is left to you.”

Sora thought about drawing out the moment for a bit longer, but he was loath to put Riku under more stress, so he quickly nodded his head in affirmation. “Of course, your majesty. Nothing would please me more.”

Riku took the brunette’s hand and let him up to the throne. Although the crowd had dissipated, the elderly man was standing to the side with a knife in hand. Sora balked for a moment at the sight of the weapon, but Riku quieted him down with soft touches and assurances. “It’s alright. It’s time for the ceremony, don’t be afraid. You never have to be afraid again, because you’ll never be alone. I promise to always be with you as long as we both draw breath. No, even thereafter.”

The rest of the promises they whispered to each other in that place were meant for no one else’s ears but their own.

The exchange of vows had both parties practically glowing, and Sora accepted the knife without reservation this time. Taking Riku’s hand in his own, he made a shallow cut through the center of Riku’s palm. The angel’s grasp shook a little as he tried to brush off the feeling of betrayal at harming his charge even in this small way. Riku’s fingers wrapped around Sora’s wrist, steadying his hand. Together, they guided the blade to trace the same pattern across Sora’s palm.

The blood that welled up was a little too red to be real, and Sora was jolted by the reminder that this was all a dream. The worrying thought that maybe he’d gotten lost on the way to Riku’s dream and ended up in the wrong place passed through his mind. After all, nothing seemed more self-serving to the angel’s desires than having his charge acknowledge him and beg for his fealty. He could only hope that this was the way Riku really felt deep within the confines of the man’s mind.

Their blood mingled as they clasped hands, and the sluggish stream that dripped down their fingers stained the velvet carpet below. Forehead to forehead, the two breathed each other’s air as the old man declared the completion of the ceremony.

Sora tried to sense a change in his magic – perhaps searching for a tangible connection between them. But his magic was always different in dreams, unpredictable and unfamiliar even, so the angel wasn’t surprised to find it was impossible to tell for certain. He thought he felt _something_ though, a force that he couldn’t quite identify yet was suddenly present within him. _Confirmation bias_ , he thought, _or it could be Riku_.

The angel opened his eyes to find Riku smiling at him, the silver-haired man’s face unabashed in its scrutiny of him. The angel felt undressed, his skin peeled away and the core of his being exposed. What did Riku see now that they were bonded, he wondered.

A shiver ran through the brunette’s body. His heart was tumbling, plummeting through his chest. All of a sudden he felt very small and unworthy of the person beside him.

Riku pulled him in for a warm embrace as he whispered tender reassurances to the angel. Sora buried his head into the crook of the the taller man’s neck, content in that instant to be the one kept safe in the circle of the other’s arms. _Maybe Riku is my guardian angel just as much as I’m his_ , he thought.

The two stayed locked together for several minutes before Riku reluctantly pulled away and tilted Sora’s chin up to look into his eyes.

“So, how would you like to save the rest of the sappy stuff for later and go fight a dragon?” He asked.

Sora thought he’d never heard anything better in his whole life.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is actually only a third of what chapter 3 was originally. It was so long and there were so many things I was unhappy with. Sometimes you just need a beta reader that sits there and says "This is bad. I know you can do better so you're going to have to scrap all of this." I don't have one of those, so I kind of just edit myself a lot. 
> 
> Basically half of the chapter became Chapter 4 (which is completely done unless I decide I hate one paragraph and rewrite it all as a proportional response), and I turned what was originally a fully fleshed out dream sequence into the ending two sentences. The fight with the dragon and dream plot twists got cut because the foreshadowing was too heavy handed and it just kind of dragged on too much. Maybe I'll post the full dream as a side story, but it really was too much of a spoiler for the rest of the fic (that is if anyone looks for foreshadowing in fics at all, haha). Don't get me wrong, I love foreshadowing, but I need to work on using it in moderation!
> 
> Again, I have no beta so any mistakes are completely my fault. I apologize for any and all of them!


	4. The Riptide

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the length of this chapter. I'm really, really sorry, and I know it's terribly hard to read.

Riku awoke to the sound of his cellphone ringing.  Blearily, he realized that at some point he must have fallen asleep on his laptop.  He went to rub the sleep from his eyes, but to his surprise, he found his arms trapped in the warm embrace of a blanket cocoon.  Confusion overtook him for a moment as he knew he hadn’t gone to sleep with the blanket covering his body. 

The only logical conclusion was that Kairi must have come over and tucked him in earlier.  He’d been trying to be productive with his research and so avoided the deadly combination of carbs and warm things, yet somehow he’d still fallen asleep.  The silver haired man wondered what time it was as he extricated himself from the blankets.   

Riku’s eyebrow twitched in annoyance as he glanced down at the desk and noticed the doodle in his notebook.  It looked vaguely like a bird and a man, but the drawing was pretty hideous.  Without giving the image a second thought, he tore out the page, balled it up, and threw it in the wastebasket under his desk.  Kairi never respected Riku’s personal property when it came to leaving him little notes and reminders, but he’d never seen such a terrible drawing from her.   

The cellphone ringtone started going off again much to Riku’s chagrin.  Riku groaned as he realized that whoever wanted to get ahold of him probably wasn’t going to give up any time soon.  He stumbled around the apartment looking for the offending object and eventually succeeded in digging the phone out of his backpack. 

“Hey, you’ve reached Riku,” he answered the phone.  “Now if you’d be so kind as to explain why you’ve called me five times in a row…” 

“It’s not nice to ignore people, you know,” the voice on the other end shot back.  Hayner’s voice, Riku thought.  He really should have known.  Few people would have the audacity to call incessantly until they got their way besides Kairi and Axel, and both their numbers were already saved to his contacts.    

“I wasn’t ignoring you.  I was busy.  Some people have lives, you know.”  Riku lied.  He had to keep up appearances after all.     
  
Hayner laughed.  “I know for a fact you don’t, workaholic.  I can count the number of parties you get invited to on zero fingers, and your sex life died in high school.” 

Riku rolled his eyes, his sleepy brain slow to realize that Hayner couldn’t see the gesture of disdain through the phone.  “Whatever.  Did you actually have a reason for calling me or did you just feel like trying to roast someone with ten times the responsibility your childish ass has?” 

All traces of Hayner’s joking tone were gone when he spoke again.  “Of course there’s a reason.  Axel’s orders, in fact.  Zexion’s gear picked up some anomalies or some shit and the Organization’s supposed to meet at the Usual Spot.”

“When?”  Riku asked, looking at the time.  Christ, he’d been asleep for hours.  So much for coming in prepared. 

“Like now.  You’re the furthest away so you better get your ass over here.”

“Okay, I’m heading over now.”  Riku was already on the move, entering his bedroom and attempting to throw on clothes appropriate for the weather while juggling the cellphone with one hand.  “Give me 30 minutes.  If this ends up being a false alarm or another old lady, I’m going to kill you guys.” 

Hayner chuckled.  “Fair enough.  I’ll see you then.” 

Riku threw his phone into his bag and grabbed his keys before heading out the door.  It was still Saturday evening, which was a whole day before the Organization had planned to hold their ritual.  The abrupt change of plans was a little unnerving, but somehow Riku found it thrilling at the same time.  He had missed too much already; this time, he was ready to be there and get his hands dirty.

 

* * *

  

Sora sighed as he stared at the glowing orb in front of him.  Once again, the angel’s world had faded to white and the only company he was blessed with was Riku’s disembodied soul.  It was hard to see the timing as coincidental given that Riku had just taken a phone call then rushed out the door frantically before Sora lost touch with reality. 

It truly was a shame that Riku was pulling away from him like this.  The angel had been so elated after returning from the dream world, his heart light with giddiness of a child that has his first kiss.  But his joy had turned to ashes after Riku had thrown away the picture he’d drawn, and shortly thereafter he’d been cut off from most of Riku’s world.   

Sora was momentarily distracted from his somber mood by the distinct feeling that something was _wrong_.  Apprehension coiled in the brunette’s stomach.  Something was coming; he could feel it in his bones.  Magic crackled in the air around him, and his whole body tingled from the tips of his wings to his toes.  If the approaching entity had enough power to separate Sora and Riku… well, Sora found it unconscionable to think about what would happen if he were cut off from his light. 

The angel hoped the bond they had formed in the dream world was real and strong enough to hold back whatever approached.    

 

* * *

 

Energy swirled and congealed around the angel.  It didn’t have a definite shape, but Sora could see its position by the almost translucent shadow that followed it.  It poked and prodded at this wings first, leaving little trails of electric shocks through his nerves.  The brunette tried to bat the creature away with said feathered appendages, but it returned each time it was pushed away. 

He thought about using Oathkeeper to drive it back, but it hadn’t shown any real sign of aggression yet, and Sora wasn’t about to harm anything that hadn’t threatened him or his charge. 

The amorphous blob moved down to his ankles, tickling his skin as it traced its way up the angel’s form.  When it came to his face, Sora could have sworn the touches became more gentle, almost tender in their ministrations. 

And then there were fingers on his cheeks.  Gloved hands cupping his face.  The rest of a body systematically materialized in front of Sora, startling the angel.  He pushed away from the now solid being and drew his sword.  The brunette made sure to position himself in between the cloaked figure and the light.  He didn’t know what kind of trickery was at work here, but he wouldn’t be fooled into letting down his guard.  He couldn’t allow any harm to come to Riku. 

The other figure wore a long black coat with the hood pulled low, covering its face completely.  A darkness seemed to follow him, pooling around his feet and clinging to his shape.  Something about this person’s appearance jogged Sora’s memory; he knew it was dangerous and he shouldn’t trust it. 

The angel assumed a defensive stance with Oathkeeper held at the ready to drive off an attack.  He didn’t expect much in the way of conversation before they came to blows. 

But the shadowy being seemed more interested in talking than fighting at the moment.  “There’s no need for us to fight,” the man spoke, and Sora thought his voice sounded much more youthful than he had expected.  “ _You’re_ not the one I want to kill, nor do I have any desire to risk my own self-preservation.” 

“Then what do you want?” The angel’s eyes narrowed at the cloaked man as he approached.  “If you come any closer, I’ll have no choice but to stop you.” 

The entity planted his feet and sighed.  “Alright, fine.  I just want to talk.  There’s no harm in that, is there?”   
  
“Okay, I’m listening.”  The angel lowered his sword a fraction.  “Go ahead.” 

“Not to you.” The man retorted, pointing at the light behind Sora.  “I want to talk to _him_.” 

“Out of the question.  No offense, but I don’t trust you one bit.”  The brunette’s tone was laced with wariness. 

“If that’s how you’re going to be…” the dark being mused, “then I suppose we’re going to have to do this the hard way.” 

Sora had little warning before the other man was charging at the brunette, a weapon materializing in his hand at the last possible second.  Their blades clashed and sparks of light flew in all directions.  Sora’s arms shook from the force of the blow and the weight behind it, but he managed to hold his ground. 

Something drew the angel’s attention to the sword in his opponent’s hands, and he was shocked to realize that he knew the weapon intimately.  The elegant winged handle was unmistakable, and the blues and yellows that glinted off the metal blade were a mirror image of Sora’s own.  His opponent was wielding Oathkeeper. 

Sora wondered what their ability to conjure the same weapon could possibly mean.  Not only did the sword seem completely authentic, but the angel sensed something very wrong about his opponent.  Their strength seemed about evenly matched, but Sora felt like the other figure was holding back. 

In that moment of distraction, Sora caught a flash out of the corner of his eye.  Looking down, he saw a dark blade piercing his abdomen.  He instantly cursed himself for his mistake.  He hadn’t foreseen his opponent’s hidden second weapon, so he’d carelessly allowed the other to get past his guard.  Then the pain hit him. 

The pain was so intense that it caused his muscles to spasm all the way from his core to his limbs.  When the shadow man pulled his sword out of Sora’s stomach, the angel couldn’t help but curl in on himself around the wound.   
  
But the brunette’s opponent wouldn’t give him time to rest, and Sora had to dodge desperately as he tried to get away and regroup.  Oathkeeper made contact with his forearm as Sora attempted to shield his face from a lethal strike.  The angel felt the sting of betrayal as the blade sliced deep into his flesh.  He tried to cast reflect, but the other man slammed both swords onto the bubble, easily smashing through it.  Sora’s magic was weakening with his body. 

One misstep backwards was all it took to seal his fate.  The pommel of the enemy’s weapon made contact with the back of Sora’s head, and then he was on the ground.  He tried to rise, but a whisper of “Gravity” from his opponent wove a spell that ensured his muscles wouldn’t obey the command.

Sora struggled against the magic, trying desperately to stay conscious.  His chest filled with panic as he watched the dark figure cast aside his weapons and stride over to the light – to Riku.  The angel’s heart broke and tears formed in his eyes as he imagined the possibility of losing Riku.  He tried to crawl over to the man in a last ditch attempt to save the one he cared about, but before he could get very far, darkness consumed him.   

 

* * *

 

Riku was the last to arrive at the Usual Spot, also known as “the creepy psych room” across campus.  Their favored meeting place was in the basement of one of the older campus buildings which was scheduled to be torn down as soon as construction on the new science building was complete.  The Usual Spot consisted of one large main room with smaller mini rooms marked with the letters “A” through “H” spaced out intermittently.  Every student was familiar with the rumors of dubious psychological experiments being held in these rooms decades ago, but the truth of the matter was lost to history. 

The building itself was a mess of architectural failures and also suffered from severe disrepair internally.  There were holes in the walls and ceilings in many places, but the university wasn’t willing to devote much money to renovate a building they hoped to demolish soon.  The place was a ghost town on the weekends as there were plenty of better options for students looking to study or hang out.    

Riku had always thought it was ridiculous to hold chemistry and psychology courses in a place that seemed to be falling down around them.  There had to be some kind of safety violation going on with all the chemistry labs held in dirty, musty, and poorly ventilated classrooms.  Worst of all, the chemical storage in the basement contained plenty of volatile components for grad students and professors to work on.  It made Riku nervous knowing that the storage area marked only with a “Caution: Do Not Enter” sign was so close to the Usual Spot. 

Of course, Axel loved the place and insisted it had the perfect energy for communication with spirits.  In Riku’s opinion, Axel’s approval only lent more credibility to the allegations of creepy psychological experiments in the past.     

As Riku walked into the Usual Spot, he was greeted by the somber faces of his three companions.  Axel, Hayner, and Zexion stood in a half-circle in the middle of the darkened room.  The place was lit only by an array of candles which gave off an aura of creepiness that had Riku shivering. 

“Alright guys, don’t go all _Silence of the Lambs_ on me now.”  He muttered, the forced humor evident in his voice. 

“Yeah, sorry.  Just trying to get in the right headspace, y’know?”  Axel replied, but the smile he offered Riku didn’t quite reach his eyes.  “Seems like it’s the real deal.  You should see Zexion’s readings.” 

Zexion nodded and produced a sheaf of papers before he led Riku over to the light of the candles.  “Here, you can see the data for yourself.  The results are quite uncanny.” 

Riku wasn’t exactly sure what he was looking at, so he glanced at Zexion’s face to judge his reaction.  As usual, the boy’s hair covered most of his face, and what could be seen of his expression was unreadable.  “Yeah, I don’t know what you’re talking about.  It looks like a seismograph, kind of…”   
  
Zexion huffed, and Riku could hear the annoyance bleed through into his tone.  “Look, this line measures the spirit energy in the area.  As you can see, the spike is quite sudden and remains sustained for over an hour.  It’s calmed down a little, but the energy is still surprisingly high.  I’ve never had readings like this here before.  I brought a comparison to the spirit’s energy we contacted the other weekend… the difference is staggering.” 

Now that Zexion had explained it, the data did seem to make visual sense to Riku.  In particular, there was a point where the line went from relatively straight to completely off the charts.  Riku chewed his lower lip, already nervous.  “Alright, so what you’re saying is that we could be in the presence of the most powerful spirit you guys have ever encountered, and we’re going to try to talk to it?  Won’t this be dangerous?”   
  
“That’s exactly right.”  Axel said, nodding his head.  “But don’t worry, we’re going to start small.  That’s why I brought this.”  With a flourish of his hand, Axel gestured to a rectangular object set up on the table in the center of the room. 

_An Ouija board_ , Riku observed.  “You can’t be serious.” 

Axel’s smile was all teeth.  “Deadly.  With this board, the only point of contact between us and the spirit will be the planchette.  It’s much harder to mess with our spiritual energy or manifest physically without more interaction.  But it’s also possible this spirit is strong enough to channel some kind of presence without us at all.”  Axel shrugged, the shadows flickering over his face.    

“Alright, if you say so…  I guess I’m in if you guys are.  When do we start?”  In truth, Riku wanted to get the whole thing over with as quickly as possible.   
  
“Now, optimally.  This one’s been illusive, and we don’t want him to get skittish again.”  

“Okay.  Just show me what to do.”  Riku had little experience actually using Ouija boards, although he’d seen them in plenty of cheesy horror movies.  Judging by what Axel had said, they must have worked a lot differently in reality than in the movies.  He’d only seen them portrayed as tools for demonic possession or gateways for deadly spirits, but Axel had mentioned that Ouija boards were relatively safe.  He resigned himself to throwing everything he thought he knew out the window. 

“We’ll each have a role.”  Zexion cut in, taking over the task of explaining from Axel.  “Axel will be the leader, naturally, and I’ll be the documenter.  You and Hayner will both be energizers, so you won’t be doing any speaking, just remember not to focus too much energy into the planchette.  A little will go a long way with the power we intend to contact.  It’s probably less of a problem with you, given your rather pathetic energy levels…”   

Riku scowled at the thinly veiled insult.  “Whatever, I understand.  Let’s just get started already.” 

The other Organization members seemed amenable to the idea, so they quickly took their places around the board.  Axel sat at the head of the table with Riku and Hayner on opposite sides facing each other.  Zexion stood a little way away from the table, observing the setup with a notebook in hand and his equipment next to him. 

“Is everyone ready?”  Axel asked and received a head nod from every member. 

Each moment built up more apprehension within Riku, his palms sweaty against the wooden planchette.  He tried to clear his head and focus his energy but found it virtually impossible.  A thousand thoughts swirled through his mind, and he couldn’t seem to sift through them properly.  Spirits, ghosts, angels, demons… what were they about to call out to, he wondered. 

Axel cleared his throat, jerking Riku back into focus.  _Concentrate energy, right_. 

“Is there a spirit in this room now?”  Axel asked, his tone commanding. 

The silence that followed seemed to fill up the whole room, dramatic in its length.  Riku held his breath, waiting for something to happen. 

They waited for several minutes with only silence as their reward before Axel tried again. 

“Is there a spirit out there with a message?” 

Still nothing happened.  Riku tried to keep his hands perfectly still against the planchette.  Perhaps the spirit was being put off by his shaking. 

Axel’s third attempt was laced with frustration.  “We know you’re still out there.  Answer us, damn it!” 

Silence once again swallowed the air around them.  Axel glanced to Zexion, who shook his head.  “No change in the energy readings; they’re still high.  He’s still out there.”   
  
Axel took his hands off the planchette.  “He’s fucking with us.  Spirits sure can be assholes.”

Hayner sighed.  “So what do we do?  Just give up now?  I’m gonna be pissed if I left my frat party to come out here for no reason.” 

Axel frowned.  “Nah, he’s there.  He’s probably listening to us right now.  Maybe he’s waiting for something special… too bad I don’t know any magic words.”

“I don’t think it’s the phrasing,” Zexion piped up.  “I think it’s who is saying them.  If this is the ghost of the dead boy, we were supposed to speak with him last week.  He didn’t show up because someone was missing.”  His gaze drifted to Riku.  “So give Riku a chance at playing the leader.” 

Axel pursed his lips, thinking about the proposition for a minute.  “Well, it can’t hurt to try.  Come here, Riku.”  He gestured to his seat at the head of the table.  “Your time to shine.” 

“What?  No!”  Riku protested.  He felt like a bucket of ice water had been dumped on his head.  “I’ve never even done this before.  I don’t know what to say or do or any of it.  Can’t someone else try?”   
  
“Stop whining.”  Axel chided.  “You just have to ask whatever questions come to mind.  It’ll come naturally to you… just like riding a bike or some shit.”   
  
“Yeah, with no wheels, no instructions, and no practice at all…”  Riku muttered, tone acerbic. 

Despite his reservations, it didn’t take much more coaxing before Riku moved to the leader’s seat and placed his hands on the planchette. The others rearranged themselves in their new positions and followed suit.   

_Alright, here goes nothing_ , Riku thought, hoping his nervousness and inexperience wouldn’t show. 

“Is there a spirit here now?”  Riku asked, perhaps a little too loudly in the quiet room.  There was no movement from the planchette for several moments, and Riku was afraid there would be no response.  At least Axel had failed first. 

But to his surprise, the planchette started to move, coming to rest on the side of the board reading “Yes.”  Riku looked at the group in surprise.  He had _wanted_ something to happen, but he hadn’t really _expected_ anything to happen.  It certainly wasn’t him moving the planchette consciously.  He didn’t trust the others enough to believe they definitely weren’t purposefully moving it, and he was also aware of the ideomotor effect and the scientific evidence behind it. 

The ideomotor effect had been observed in many situations similar to this.  Essentially, it was possible that one of them was experiencing muscle movement without their knowledge.  Riku found it kind of creepy that such a disconnect between a person’s mind and body could occur.  The control freak part of him couldn’t image what it would be like to have no power over one’s own body. 

Unfortunately, it was impossible for him to know which was happening currently among the possibilities of the ideomotor effect, intentional pranking, or actual spirit communication. 

He supposed he’d try another question, although had hadn’t planned any out given that Axel was the designated leader.  Time for Riku to harness his famous improvisation skills… which didn’t actually exist, if he were being honest. 

Riku cleared his throat, buying himself some time to think about what the next logical question would be.  “Well… are you dead?”  He asked. 

The planchette began to move, but this time it swung to the opposite side of the board, landing on the answer labelled “No.”  Riku’s brow furrowed.  So, they were talking to a spirit, but a spirit that wasn’t dead.  Riku didn’t know if that was even possible.  Looking at the faces around him, they seemed to be just as puzzled as he was.  

Their confusion deepened when the planchette began to move again.  Riku didn’t know if that was supposed to happen without asking another question.  They could really be going off the rails here. 

The planchette moved slowly to the letter “S.”  Riku could see Zexion taking notes out of the corner of his eye.  The next letter the planchette indicated was an “H” followed by an “I.”  Finally, the planchette moved to “T” before stopping and remaining immobile. 

Axel snickered, which soon turned into a full blown laughing fit.  “No shit!”  He managed to say in between giggles.  “You ask a stupid fucking question, and the spirit sasses you!  Oh my god!” 

Even Zexion was smiling now, the expression looking foreign on his normally solemn face.  

Riku was having none of it.  “Well if you guys think you can do so much better why don’t you do the asking?” 

Axel shook his head.  “Nope, it’s gotta be you.  Just try not to be such a dumbass from here on.” 

Riku glared daggers at Axel.  He had half a mind to quit their little communication short and go home.  He figured it was probably Axel and Hayner screwing around with him anyway, moving the planchette on purpose just so they could give him a hard time about it later.  He was convinced it was the most likely option given the response he just received.  Still, there was a chance that what he was experiencing was real, and that possibility glued him to the spot. 

“Okay, whatever.  You guys needs to calm down so we can continue.”  Riku tried to not let bitterness seep into his voice but was resoundingly unsuccessful. 

Luckily, Zexion stepped in to save Riku from further ribbing.  “Riku is right.  The energizers should be quiet and avoid interrupting, otherwise you could disrupt the flow of communion between the spirit and our plane.  I know you love the sound of your own voice, Axel, but for once you’ve got to shut your mouth and let the _leader_ do the talking.”   
  
“So sorry,” Axel apologized, his tone almost saccharine.  He might have been trying to put on an innocent face, but the attempt was half-assed at best.  The redhead mimed a zipping motion across his lips, signifying his willingness to obey the directive of silence.      

Once he felt everyone was ready again, Riku put his hands back on the planchette.  He could almost swear that he felt the temperature of the air around him drop a few degrees as his fingers made contact.  Not the atmosphere, he corrected, but a feeling deep within him – a chill that seeped into his bones.

Riku’s throat was tight as he swallowed, his mouth suddenly feeling uncomfortably dry.  He didn’t dare to look at the other members, perhaps afraid that if he did, the spell that had fallen over them all would be broken.  Perhaps he was afraid he might not like what he’d see. 

“Spirit,” he began, his voice cracking on the first note.  “What’s your name?”   
  
The planchette moved again, but this time it seemed to float above the surface of the board.  Riku heard Hayner gasp quietly but kept his eyes focused on the talking board. 

_Magnets_ , Riku thought.  _Or really well honed motor skills or parlor tricks or…_ He had to shut off that train of thought when he realized he didn’t really believe any of those excuses. 

The planchette was still moving, but the speed with which it navigated the letters had increased substantially.  The letters didn’t make sense to Riku yet, but he kept track of them mentally anyway.  _I wonder if this is how the people in horror movies feel,_ he thought. 

The planchette stopped moving on the letter “S.”  The silver haired man took it as a sign that the spirit had finished the requested word and the ball was in his court.   

Arranging the letters in his head, Riku thought for a moment.  He didn’t recognize the name; in fact, it was a highly unusual one that he’d never heard before.  He was pretty sure he didn’t recognize the name from any missing persons lists either, but he’d have to verify that information when he got home.  Even checking the databases at work wouldn’t be too difficult with such an uncommon query. 

“Your first name is Roxas?”  He asked, wanting to make sure they had it correct.  The spirit hadn’t specified a first name or surname, so it could be either. 

The planchette moved to “Yes.” 

“Okay.  What’s your last name?”  Riku followed up.  If he could find out, that would remove most of the ambiguity. 

The planchette moved to the right, hovering over “No.”

“You don’t know,” Riku deadpanned.  It wasn’t a question, but the board responded with a simple “Yes.” 

“Okay…” Riku paused, thinking about how to proceed.  “How old are you?” 

The planchette spun into motion instantly, but it was pretty clear that the spirit wasn't selecting numbers.  It hovered over letters until the word “rude” was spelled out. 

Riku had to fight the urge to roll his eyes in spite of the gravity of the situation.  “Sorry, didn’t mean to be rude.”  He wasn’t really sorry, but he figured contrition was the best way to go if they really were dealing with a powerful spirit.  “Do you know when you died?”   
  
The planchette spelled out “October” then came to a halt. 

Riku bit his lip.  The timeline lined up just right considering the date the murdered boy’s body had been found.  He was quickly realizing that at best, they would have to rely on these vague answers, and at worst, the spirit would simply evade the questions altogether.  He’d have to try harder and be smarter if he wanted to get anything useful out of it. 

“Do you know how you died?” 

The planchette was still for several minutes.  But now that Riku was engaged, he was nothing if not patient, and his companions were no better than a captive audience. 

His waiting paid off when the planchette shook slightly and began tracing a course over the letters.  “Yes,” it said, and Riku opened his mouth to speak again.  Before he could say anything, the planchette moved to “No.”  It didn’t stay in its position for long before moving back to “Yes.”  It frantically moved between the two sides a few more times before stopping in the middle of the board. 

“Okay.”  Riku breathed.  He was starting to get more and more freaked out by how authentic the experience felt.  The mystery was deepening, and he was right in the middle of it.   
  
Conversation came to him more organically now; he didn’t have to cast around for which questions to ask.  He had found a goal, and it was just a matter of figuring out exactly what path would lead out of the maze. 

At some point, Axel had taken his hands off the planchette and signaled Hayner to do the same.  They stood to the side, observing what was going on but not actively participating.  Riku had barely registered the change, he was so engrossed in his own affairs. 

“What do you want?” Riku continued, his voice demanding and full of authority. 

“Answers,” the board read, and then “Help.” 

Riku breathed in through his nose as he contemplated the responses.  “Roxas,” he felt powerful as he spoke the spirit’s purported name.  “I think you were murdered.”  He waited a few seconds for that information to sink in then continued.  “And I think you know who killed you.” 

The planchette moved to “No.” 

“Who killed you?”  Riku asked, not willing to accept the answer. 

The planchette started to shake, the vibrations sending shocks through Riku’s hands and up into his arms.  The movement was violent enough that it was uncomfortable, and the silver haired man found his limbs starting to ache. 

Without warning, a loud crack sounded through the room.  In the corner of his eye, Riku saw Axel and Hayner cover their ears with their hands.  A ghostly wail rose up and ricocheted against the walls of the room. 

When Riku looked back down, he saw the planchette had split down the middle.  Half remained against his palm while the other half moved around the Ouija board on its own.  There was no physical touch that could be manipulating it.  No ideomotor effect.  Just half the planchette, floating across the board all on its own.   
  
The message it spelled out was perhaps even more worrying.  “Help him,” it said and then dropped down onto the board with a clatter. 

Riku felt the air around him lift and instinctively he knew the spell was broken.  The spirit was gone, and they would learn nothing more tonight. 

Zexion confirmed what Riku already knew a moment later.  “The readings,” the petit man spoke, cutting through the heavy silence that had fallen.  “They’re back to normal.  He’s gone.” 

No one seemed keen to follow up that assertion.  There was so much to say, but there didn’t seem to be proper words to express those sentiments.  Riku felt like there was a stone in his gut and a cacophony in his head.  The thought that perhaps he was dreaming flitted through his mind, but he quickly rejected it.  He couldn’t remember what dreaming felt like, but he was certain of his consciousness despite the craziness of what he’d just seen. 

Naturally, Axel was the first to recover and strike up a conversation.  “So we need to talk about what just happened,” he said as he walked over to the light switch.  He flicked on the fluorescent lights and everyone blinked owlishly at each other while their eyes adjusted.    

Zexion was the next to speak.  “To say the least, I was surprised that the spirit was so responsive to Riku.  Most of the movement had to be from the spirit’s own energy, and it seemed to get stronger when Axel and Hayner let go.  I’m not sure why it has formed a connection to Riku, but it seems quite interested.”  

“Yeah,” Hayner concurred.  “And it was pretty well behaved too.  Even the grandma was feistier!” 

“Oh?”  Riku held up the ruined planchette.  “I wouldn’t call this _behaving_.”   
  
Axel frowned and took the object from Riku’s hands.  “That part was pretty abnormal, but Hayner’s right.  It really was pretty tame for its power level.  Things could have gone a lot worse.”   
  
“That’s not what you told me before we started this!”  The silver haired man shot back, affronted at the redhead’s deception.  “You said it was going to be relatively safe!” 

Axel just smirked.  “It’s called a little white lie, get used to it.  Anyway, you got a taste of your mystery, so I bet you’re glad we made you do it.”    

Riku couldn’t argue with that.  He _was_ glad he’d done it.  It had been creepy and left him feeling strange in his own skin, but his desire for more prevailed.  “I don’t know if he really is the murdered boy.  I don’t think he even knows for sure.  I can check to see if his name matches any missing persons and that might help some.” 

Axel and Zexion shared a look.  “I think we should go through with the ritual tomorrow.”  The redhead confessed.  “It’s clear this spirit has a lot more to say and he’ll probably show up if Riku does.”   
  
Hayner huffed.  “You think he’d show up after he just up and disappeared like that?  I doubt it, and I don’t believe a word he’s saying.  I know you two have a lot more experience with contacting spirits than I do.  Personally, I’ve only done it successfully a few times, but I already have enough experience to know that spirits lie _all the time_.  They lie just for fun.  Or worse, to get humans into trouble.  Because they’re all vindictive bastards.”

Axel’s expression grew stormier with each word from the other member’s mouth.  “Well what would you suggest we do?  Do shitty little Ouija board experiments like this and fuck around for another few months?  Just sit on our asses while things beyond our world go spiraling out of control?  I’m not a patient enough man for that.” 

“That’s not what I’m saying.”  Hayner argued, his voice raised to meet Axel’s.  “Riku’s gonna go home and see if this kid’s name matches whatever lists he’s made up.  And if it does, that’s some evidence that he’s not totally full of shit.  But even if it’s on there, we still gotta look into this further.  I’m telling you this thing is probably a lot more malevolent than you guys are assuming and you’re being fucking careless.”   
  
Riku just listened as the two went at it.  He didn’t have any interest in joining in their little spat, and he had his own conflicting opinions.  On one hand, he knew that Hayner had a point – research and caution were important.  He had seen firsthand what a spirit could do when it was “behaving,” and that was enough to raise Riku’s hackles.  On the other hand, the more logical part of his brain was being overruled by a deep _need_ to know more.  The spirit’s plea for answers, and even more disturbingly, help, was gnawing at his insides. 

Zexion managed to quiet the two down before long, but he stood next to Axel in a show of solidarity.  “I agree with Axel.  We’ve been doing research and trying to find this spirit for so long.  We already know a significant amount, and a full communication is the next logical step.  How much more could we possibly find out through research that we don’t already know?  Caution can be good, but we can’t allow it to hinder action.”   
  
Riku was surprised that the normally reserved man’s agreement with Axel’s plan.  He respected Zexion’s opinion, and if Zexion thought they couldn’t learn any more through conventional means, he was willing to defer to the scholar.  Zexion’s endorsement was enough to sway him wholly to their side.   
  
“I’ll do it,” Riku announced, the resolve creeping through into his voice.  “Tomorrow.  The full communication ritual.  I’ll be here and we’ll do it.”   
  
Hayner made a noise in the back of his throat.  He seemed to be thinking about what to say next as he shifted his weight from foot to foot in agitation.  “Well good luck, but count me out.  You all are playing with serious shit and I just think you’re going to get taken.” 

He collected his things and made to leave, but before he did, he grabbed Riku’s shoulder and pulled him in close.  “Let me know if you change your mind,” he whispered, low enough that it reached Riku’s ears only.  “I’ll find a sweet party for us to hit up or something… or just hang out, whatever you want.”   
  
“Thanks,” Riku whispered back, although he had no intention of taking advantage of Hayner’s offer.    

“Don’t mention it.  And seriously, be fucking careful, okay?”   
  
“Will do.”  Riku’s smile didn’t quite reach his eyes.  He appreciated the concern, but he really hoped it wasn’t necessary. 

 

* * *

  

Riku and Axel sat together on the steps outside his apartment.  They’d parted ways with Zexion back at the Usual Spot, but Axel had tagged along with Riku back his apartment.  The silver haired man had a distinct feeling that he was being manipulated; Axel seemed to think he was playing the part of horse whisperer to a skittish colt.  Riku guessed the redhead was just here to make sure that he didn’t get cold feet and skip out on them tomorrow. 

Despite Riku’s protests that smoking so close to the building was definitely disallowed, the redhead had insisted on lighting up a cigarette.  Riku scooted away from his companion, increasing the distance between them just in case second hand smoke triggered a headache.  He’d started to feel a migraine coming on when they were messing around with the Ouija board, but it had faded pretty quickly afterwards.  He _really_ couldn’t afford to be out of it on Sunday, so he hoped it didn’t come back.      

The quiet that settled between them was comfortable and relaxed.  Riku’s head was filled with his own thoughts and reservations, and he didn’t particularly feel like voicing any of those things to his companion.  He genuinely believed that Axel was a good guy deep down, but he had plenty of quirks and could be a complete asshole most of the time. 

In Riku’s opinion, Axel could be likened a sharp blade; he needed something to temper his edge and calm his fire.  In truth, it didn’t seem like Axel had much sticking power though.  While Riku used to occasionally hear about his flings with this guy or that girl, he hadn’t heard of Axel being in a relationship for as long as he’d known the man.  Furthermore, the people he slept with never seemed to be of a particularly high quality.  His usual type seemed to be drug addicts, vagrants, or general miscreants, which was probably a symptom of larger self destructive habits. 

Axel needed someone to ground him, but that was beyond Riku’s power to provide.  He couldn’t even find someone he liked for himself, let alone attempt to play matchmaker for his friends. 

Riku wondered if Axel’s condition was rooted in a troubled upbringing or if he was the kind who’d made rebellious choices in his teenage years.  Axel wasn’t exactly forthcoming about his past, so all that Riku had to go on was speculation.  The redhead seemed more like the former, like the kind of kid who’d been thrown around foster homes and learned to live on the edge of the law at an early age.  Either way, his current situation was far from optimal. 

But then there was this glaring incongruity in how Axel spent his free time.  He went to school, and he ran this little paranormal club, which really didn’t seem to jive with the rest of his life.  When it came down to it, the redhead was quite the enigma.   
  
Riku figured there was no time better than the present to see if Axel was willing to open up.  He was feeling a little more vulnerable after their experience, and he thought his companion might be feeling the same way.   
  
“Hey, Axel,” Riku started, diving headfirst into the topic before he had a chance to change his mind.  “Why did you start this club in the first place?  Where did your interest in all this demonology shit come from?” 

Axel hummed noncommittally around his cigarette.  Green eyes locked with aquamarine as the redhead slowly blew a puff of smoke in Riku’s direction.  He seemed to be looking for something as he searched Riku's face, but other man had no idea what that could be. 

The redhead’s attention was kind of unnerving, and Riku couldn’t help but feel as if his masks were being stripped away under his friend’s sharp, knowing gaze.  He already regretted asking the question. 

But Axel seemed to have found what he wanted, because he dropped his gaze and snuffed out the cigarette with his boot.  His voice was low as he spoke, and Riku had to strain to hear his words.  “When I was little, I didn’t know what they were.” 

He paused, brow furrowed in contemplation.  He looked up at the darkened sky like it might help him make sense of his past or at least make his story easier to tell.  But no heavenly deliverance was forthcoming, and so silence settled between them once more.  Riku was content to let it stay like that until Axel was ready to talk again. 

“People say stupid shit like ‘kids can’t understand death until they’re a certain age,’ but I know for a fact that’s a load of bullshit.  Kids don’t understand death until the good old grim reaper comes knocking right at their front door to take away someone they love, someone they _need_.  After that, it doesn’t matter how young they are.  They get it, trust me.  The first time I saw a fresh one was the same time I learned about death.”   
  
Axel took a breath before continuing.  “Right, I guess I should explain.  I forget you don’t know about too much of this stuff because your spiritual energy is actually garbage.”  
  
Riku blanched.  Somehow Axel still found the ability to slip in an insult even while he was baring his soul. 

“Fresh ones are pretty rare, actually.  When someone dies, their spirit is still tethered to this world for a short time.  I’m really not sure why, because I’m not god or whoever set this shit up… but they don’t pass on immediately.  What remains might just be residual energy or it could be a whole fucking human soul, I don’t know.  And while they’re in this limbo period, those of us with high enough spiritual energy can see ‘em.  Sometimes they fade away pretty quickly, like they’ve accepted their death and are ready to move on.  But others… they aren’t happy.  If you’re unlucky enough to witness a death, you can see the extremes of the spirit’s emotions – how they polarize and grow and dominate everything else.” 

Riku was fascinated by the story.  “So you know that from personal experience?  You saw it as a kid?” 

“Yeah.”  Axel muttered, his face grim.  “I was six years old.  My parents – they were the fresh ones I saw.”   
  
“I’m so sorry.”  Riku breathed.  They were empty condolences, but it was all he could think of to say.  It wasn’t like words could fix Axel’s childhood.  “How did it happen?”

“Car accident.  Just like a movie, except I didn’t grow up to be a tragic hero.  I just became a colossal fuck up.” 

Riku scooted closer to Axel until their knees touched.  It was a simple act of solidarity, but he hoped it would help on some level. 

“I didn’t know they were dead at first, because I didn’t know what death was until that moment.  But I knew they were different; they were changing, and it was hideous and grotesque in a way that words can’t really describe.  Neither of them passed on peacefully.  I watched my father turn into little more than a monster driven by rage.  And my mother… well, she was eaten up by despair.  To this day, I assume they’re still out there somewhere.  Hurting others, probably.  And the scary part is that I can’t find it in myself to give a shit.  I didn't look back after I was put into foster care.  Truth is, I couldn’t force myself to relive that shit; I just wasn’t strong enough.” 

“Hey Axel,” Riku’s hand was on his companion’s shoulder, rubbing in small circles.  He knew Axel wasn’t big on touchy-feely stuff, but the man didn’t pull away from his touch.  Riku took that as a green light to continue.  “When we’re finished up here, during Winter Break I mean, why don’t we all go on a vacation?  We’d make one hell of a team, you know.  Zexion would be the brains, Hayner the muscle, and you the fearless leader, obviously.  We could bust all the evil spirits from here to your hometown, and then we could see about putting your parents to rest.” 

The smile that crossed Axel’s face seemed genuine.  “Playing _Supernatural_?  I’m game.  You’d be the pretty one of the team, the one we always use as a distraction.  We’ll pack up an Impala with a bunch of salt and shit and we’ll stay at the crappiest motels we can find and maybe we’ll even run into a goddamn werewolf.” 

Riku shot his friend an incredulous glance.  “Do those really exist?”   
  
The redhead snorted.  “Of course not, stupid.  You’re a fucking moron.”  But he seemed to catch himself and think for a moment.  “I mean, I don’t think they do.  But I can’t exactly prove beyond a shadow of a doubt that they don’t.  Burden of proof and all… you can’t prove that god isn’t a rainbow unicorn, and I can’t prove that werewolves _don’t_ exist.”   
  
“Oh,” was all Riku said, his cheeks burning.  He felt foolish for even asking. 

“Anyway, I never really finished answering your question,” Axel said, returning to the subject at hand.  “If it was just about my parents, I never would have gotten into this stuff.  That was enough to put me off it forever, really; I would have turned my back on the occult and spirits and paranormal research.  Every time I saw another fresh one, it was a reminder of how terrible those parts of my abilities could be.  But as I got older, they’d come to me in dreams.”   
  
“Newborn spirits visited your dreams?”  Riku asked, mystified.    

Axel shook his head.  “No.  Mature spirits and others.  Those in limbo are just transitioning… just getting used to their powers and they can’t navigate different realms like that.  Hayner was wrong, by the way.  Spirits aren’t all bad.  Don’t get me wrong, there are some mean motherfuckers out there and they will not hesitate to drag you down with them.  But some of them are kind and sympathetic.  Some of them really like humans.  Some of them are just normal – they have their own agendas and motivations.  Most of ‘em aren’t half bad when you get to know them… hell, some of my earliest friends after my parents died were spirits haunting the house I lived in.”  
  
Axel’s expression turned angry.  “But that foster family decided I was too much trouble, so I got sent away, and since my friends were tied to the house, they couldn’t follow.  For a long time after that, my dreams were plagued by malevolent spirits feeding on my powers.  My life was one nightmare after another.  When I was awake I’d get beaten, and when I was asleep evil spirits would play around with my head.  Goddamn miserable, but I guess it could have been worse.”  

“How so?”  Riku asked.  He thought that sounded about as bad as it could get. 

“Well, I didn’t go crazy and I didn’t kill myself, so there’s that.  And once I got more control over my spiritual energy, I was a lot better equipped to deal with any unwanted visitors.  To this day, they still come to me, but now I know how to keep the bad ones out.” 

“You think that happens to other people to?”   
  
“Probably.”  Axel shrugged.  “I can’t say for sure.  I’ve never talked to Zex or Hayner about it, but I figured they’d gone through it at least once or twice.”

“Hmm.  You think it could happen to me?”  Riku frowned, contemplating the possibility.  “I guess even if I did, I wouldn’t remember…”   
  
“Oh, I’m sure it does.  All the time, probably.  I bet they’re running around in your head telling you to do all sorts of spooky stuff.”  Axel’s voice was dripping with sarcasms, and he flailed his arms around in what Riku imagined was the world’s worst ghost interpretation.    

Riku huffed, withdrawing his hand from Axel’s back and crossing his arms defiantly.  “You don’t have to be an ass about it, you know.  I was just curious.” 

“Well it’s not my fault you love asking stupid questions.  That kind of spirit is out there looking for a tasty meal, and you’re like an empty plate.  There’s nothing going on up here,” he flicked Riku’s forehead, “that they’d be interested in.” 

“At least the spirit we met today wanted me…”  He'd played his trump card, so he sat back and watched Axel's reaction. 

“Heh, don’t remind me.”  Axel rolled his eyes.  “I’m pretty jealous about that, actually.  You get to be this hotshot star now while the rest of us sit around twiddling our thumbs.  Make sure you remember us when you’re Hollywood’s next big psychic or whatever.” 

Riku punched Axel in the gut playfully.  Perhaps the blow was a bit too hard to be playful, but Riku was prepared to label Axel a sissy if the redhead called him on it. 

Axel just let out an “Oomph” and pushed back at Riku’s shoulder. 

Their conversation seemed to reach a natural conclusion, and with the temperature dropping lower and lower each minute, both men were anxious to move to better shelter.  Wordlessly, the got up and made their way to Riku’s front door. 

Riku paused just inside the entrance.  “Would you like to stay here tonight?  Since you hate your roommate and apparently love my couch enough to break in while I’m in the hospital…” 

Axel had the decency to look a little guilty at the mention of his bad behavior.  In reality, his expression was more like 5% guilty and 95% satisfied, but at least that was progress.   
  
“Thanks but no thanks,” the redhead replied, leaning on the doorframe.  “I’ve got shit to do.  Just make sure you show up tomorrow. I’ll personally come out here and kill your ass if you stand us up.” 

Typical of Axel to turn a friendly offer into a murder threat, Riku thought.  “Okay.  I already said I’d be there, so stop worrying.  You’re being awfully pushy about this whole thing and it’s kind of weird.” 

Axel just looked away.

Riku sighed.  “Well I’m going to go to bed now.  Thanks for telling me about your past.  I know it wasn’t the easiest thing, but I feel like I really understand you a lot better now.” 

“Don't you dare ever speak of it again.”  Axel deadpanned.  

The silver-haired man cleared his throat to cover a laugh.  “Whatever you say.  Good things will come your way soon, I’m sure of it.”   
  
Axel pushed off the doorframe and was already making his way down the stairs when he yelled back.  “Good things come to those who take them, not those that deserve them.  Remember that.” 

 

* * *

 

Sora awoke in Riku’s room.  He felt stiff and weak and his stomach hurt terribly, but none of those things concerned him.  His mind was focused on one thing only – the safety of his light.  Sora struggled to sit up and winced as he tried to drag himself upright.  It took all of his energy to pull his body up onto the bed.  Dread filled him as the possibilities of what he might find flashed through his brain.   
  
To his surprise, Riku was there, looking whole and hale.  His eyes were closed in repose, and his breathing was normal and even.  Sora sighed in relief, flopping back against the pillows.  He couldn’t hold back the sobs that wracked his frame, and he didn’t try too hard to quell them.  The angel was exhausted, scared, and relieved all at the same time. 

Needing comfort for his raw emotions, the brunette cuddled into Riku’s arms.  Although the silver-haired man didn’t seem to wake, he instinctively clutched the angel’s form closer.  His body was warm against Sora, and the youth thanked his lucky stars for the physical presence.  The brunette nuzzled his face into Riku’s neck, resting his head on the silver-haired man’s shoulder.  Tears soaked into the fabric of Riku’s t-shirt as the angel cried himself out. 

_I love you_ , Sora whispered into the aether, more a plea than a statement.  He covered them both protectively in the circle of his wings, making sure the softest, downy feathers rested lightly against Riku’s skin.  

That night, Riku slept comfortably through dreams filled with happiness and light. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I actually have no confidence in writing so I felt really anxious about posting this. There's no beta for me to poke into giving me feedback, sooooo... I guess I just kind of have to hope and pray that it's not completely terrible. I didn't like it when it was 50% of chapter 3 and somehow I made it worse before it got better? Not that I think it's better than what it was. The length is really distracting. It was honestly hard to proofread because of how much meandering it does. Oh boy. 
> 
> This chapter is over my initial cut by about 5,000 words. It's pretty wild that this chapter and the previous one didn't even exist in the original plan! In the very early planning stages, the story started with chapter 5 which I haven't even posted here yet! Somehow most of the stuff that was added was to fill in gaps, close plot holes, and add character development has taken on a life of its own. I really wish I could've split this up into two, but I couldn't find a clean way to do it. :/ 
> 
> And there wasn't enough Sora in this chapter! Almost 9,000 words and where is our little angel? 
> 
> My favorite part of the writing process is making up chapter titles. I have a bunch of them already planned out (well, each chapter I've already planned and divided is already named). Some of them are really pretty spoilery... I'm not sure if it's in good form to use those or not. Whenever I find a section particularly hard and unnatural sounding, I find it really helpful to put on some soothing music and think up some more potential titles, because I keep adding chapters on impulse...  
> Anyway, if anyone has any ideas for chapter titles, feel free to share and I'll see if I can use them (with your permission and full credit of course)!


	5. Unto the Breach

Waking up to breakfast in bed was about the best thing in the world, he thought.  That must be one of the fundamental truths of the universe.  It was probably somewhere above the universal law of gravitation and Murphy’s Law, although Godwin’s Law definitely superseded all of them.  _Everything_ eventually became Hitler.  That was just science fact.  

He didn’t even mind that he was being woken up a whole hour earlier than he wanted to get up.  Nor did he care that the creature currently presenting the tray holding said Best Thing in the World was half demon, half angel. 

She seemed to be saying something, but he wasn’t listening on account of devoting his entire sleep-addled mind to the offering before him.  There was thick-cut bacon, eggs, a glass of orange juice and –

No way.  Was that _French toast_?  His brain almost short-circuited.  Upon further inspection, he confirmed the existence of French toast with sliced strawberries and blueberries.  A carafe of maple syrup and a pot of homemade whipped cream sat on either side of the plate, giving him options for how he wanted to pursue his death by diabetes. 

It must be his birthday; there was no other explanation for the sudden windfall.  He could’ve sworn his birthday was still almost half a year away, but the tired mind had limitations.  It was more likely that he’d forgotten his own birthday than that she’d done this spontaneously. 

She was speaking again, and this time he tried to pay attention.  Maybe there was a catch he was missing.      

“…So are you going to forgive me or what, Riku?” 

His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, a piece of bacon sticking halfway out of his mouth.  It must have looked comical, but the girl didn’t comment on his animalistic behavior.  She just stared at him, expectant and a little wary.  _Right, questions normally solicit answers_ , he belatedly realized.  

“I’m sorry, what am I forgiving you for?”  Riku asked after he’d swallowed the bacon. 

She sighed, hands on her hips.  “You’re a nightmare in the mornings.  I said I’m sorry for not coming over yesterday to check up on you.  I had to work late and then I totally forgot that Selphie had bought movie tickets for us last week, and I couldn’t stand her up…”  She trailed off, worrying the hem of her sweater with her fingers. 

Suddenly the breakfast made sense to Riku.  Kairi was feeling terribly guilty and miserable for not taking care of him yesterday, so she’d tried to make up for it with bribery.  The only strange part was that he distinctly remembered thinking that she’d been over the previous day. 

“Hey,” he said, making sure to keep eye contact with her, “how could I not forgive you?  This French toast is _amazing_.”  He knew he was going too easy on her, but it was the truth. 

A smile of relief crossed Kairi’s features.  Riku wasn’t sure what she’d been expecting; perhaps she’d thought he’d withhold forgiveness in exchange for more perks, but he wasn’t really that cruel.  She could be a pain in the ass and headstrong and demanding, but she really did go above and beyond with her friends.  Plus, who could ever be upset at someone who made them breakfast in bed? 

“Excellent!”  Kairi exclaimed, her mood rapidly shifting gears.  “So I brought over some movies we can watch if you want to just hang out and have a lazy day…” Her voice trailed off as her expression turned devious.  “And I brought _The Room_.  We are _definitely_ watching that.” 

Riku groaned.  Suddenly he regretted handing over his forgiveness so easily.  There was probably no way he was getting out of watching that terrible film now. 

Once Riku was finished with breakfast, they settled in for a morning of relaxing.  The silver-haired man vetoed Kairi’s first attempt at playing _The Room_ , so they ended up watching _Howl’s Moving Castle_ instead.  They’d seen it several times already, but it was a classic they both loved. 

At some point, Kairi slipped off her socks and snuck her cold feet onto Riku’s stomach.  He tried to push her off, but she was stubborn and reminded him that it was his own fault for keeping the apartment at subzero temperatures.  Needless to say, she won that battle, and Riku scooted over to the very end of his sofa hoping her feet wouldn’t follow.  Unfortunately they did, and they were very, very cold. 

The second movie was halfway through when an idea came to Riku. 

“Hey Kairi, you said you weren’t here yesterday?”  

She tilted her head toward him.  “Yeah.  I really am sorry about that, you know.” 

“I’m not upset,” Riku said, “I just thought you’d let yourself in while I was asleep.  Seemed like someone had…”

“Probably Axel.”  She didn’t bother to hide the disgust in her tone.  Saying the two of them didn’t get along was an understatement. 

“Ha, doubtful.  Whoever it was tucked me in and left a drawing.”  Riku frowned.  “That’s about the furthest thing from Axel that I can think of.” 

Kairi giggled.  “Well now’s the time to confess about your secret lover, I suppose.  Maybe they climbed in through your window like in _Romeo and Juliet_ … how romantic.  Is he handsome?  Did you get laid?” 

Riku’s cheeks flushed.  “I’m pretty sure that never happened in _Romeo and Juliet_ …”  He didn’t really want to address the rest of Kairi’s completely wrong conclusions.  “And I don’t have a secret lover or a boyfriend or whatever, so cut it out.” 

“Give me one guess,” Kairi smiled, sitting up and giving Riku her full attention.  At least he was saved from the cold feet.  “He’s got spiky hair and pretty blue eyes…” 

Riku suddenly felt queasy.  “What are you talking about?” He asked, heart thundering through his chest. 

Kairi blinked at him, wondering where the sudden shift from annoyance to panic came from.  “I thought it might be the hot nurse from the hospital you seemed interested in… remember?” 

_Oh_.  He didn’t know what he’d expected or why he was so physiologically bothered by her guess.  Thankfully, his uneasiness was already starting to subside, so he didn’t bother to dwell on it further.   

“No.  There’s no one.  But the business about my apartment is serious,” he ground out between gritted teeth.   

Kairi huffed.  “You’re always so stubborn about things you can’t explain.  If you’re not missing anything, then I’m sure no one broke in.  One of your friends probably came by and your door was unlocked.”

What she was suggesting made sense, and she was absolutely right about Riku’s need to know.  He realized his response was unreasonable and paranoid, but he couldn’t quite sooth the itch telling him something was _wrong_.  

“Okay, so maybe you’re right, but at least humor me for a second.”  He said as he retrieved the crumpled up drawing from the waste basket.

He smoothed it out as best he could before handing it to her.  “They left this.” 

There was no spark of recognition in her eyes as she scrutinized the drawing.  “Wow, this is terrible.  And you thought I did it?” 

The silver-haired man looked down.  “I plead the fifth…”

If looks could kill, Kairi would have murdered him many times over.  “It doesn’t mean anything to me.  And I’ll have you know I’m a great artist.”  She stuck her tongue out as she passed the picture back. 

Riku decided to drop the subject, but he didn’t think it was right to throw the drawing away.  Instead, he placed it in the drawer of his desk.  The picture was in a pretty sad state, but maybe he’d need it later.  The word _hoarder_ ran through his head, but he ignored it.  The silver-haired man kept his apartment tidy and free of clutter for the most part, so he felt he could justify keeping this one thing.  

They settled back in for another round of movies, and this time Riku decided to protect himself from a certain demon’s cold appendages by putting up pillow walls between them.  That ended up being a fatal mistake as he found himself roped into building a pillow fort the size of a small castle. 

He was briefly reminded of their raft-building days on the islands, especially because Kairi had done little work and lots of supervision then too.  Of course, he pretended to be above such childish games now, but he enjoyed himself a lot more than he would ever let on.  It was nice to relax like this and let all his problems melt away.  And it was warm and cozy inside the fort… not that he’d admit that to Kairi.     

After Kairi forced him to watch _The Room_ , Riku figured it was time for them to part ways.  He still had to stop by his work before closing if he wanted access to the full missing persons databases.  Some of the information was stored on a portable hard drive he brought home, but it lacked some important data including photos and a wider search function. 

Kairi didn’t protest too much when he told her he was going out, so he took that as a small victory. 

Unfortunately, his luck didn’t continue at his next stop. 

 

* * *

 

Sora woke up in a familiar room.  There were two things wrong with his immediate observations; the first was that Sora didn't normally need sleep, and the second was the distinct lack of Riku.  

He looked around for his charge but found nothing useful.  For a moment, fear overcame the angel, but his fears dissipated when he heard laughter from the next room.  He recognized Riku’s voice and what sounded like his friend Kairi’s too. 

As the angel stretched to get up, pain shot through his stomach.  He pulled up his shirt to get a better look at the source of the itchy, painful sensation. 

A long pink scar ran across his abdomen.  It looked bad, probably even worse than it felt. 

Memories of the previous day struck the brunette like a bolt of lightning.  He’d been attacked – a man in a black coat had come for Riku and they’d ended up fighting.  Sora felt shame as he recalled how badly he’d been beaten.  There was even a nasty scar on his forearm where he’d caught the wrong end of the blade a second time.  

As far as he could see, the marks on his stomach and arm were the only such marks on his body.  The rest of his skin was smooth and flawless apart from the callouses on his palms.  He wondered what Riku would think if he could see the angel now. 

Sora lowered his shirt, feeling sick.  He couldn’t bear to look at the marks anymore.  Of course the silver-haired man would think he was ugly.  Riku was _perfect_.  Not only was Sora a failure, but he also bore the physical marks of his short-comings.  The angel’s wings drooped with sadness.  He wasn’t worthy to be Riku’s protector. 

He knew he should probably go to Riku, to at least try to watch over him and make sure he was safe.  Swallowing his fears wasn’t easy, but Sora was nothing if not resilient.  He felt very small and very unworthy, but this wasn’t about him, the angel reminded himself.  His heart swelled with hope as he rallied for the sake of his light.

  

* * *

 

Riku stared at the computer results, disappointment filling every pore of his body.  There were only three people listed as currently missing with the name “Roxas,” and none of them fit the parameters of the case at all.  The ages and timing were off with each one, which led the silver-haired man to conclude that none of these people could be his murdered boy.  

He didn’t know what his next plan of action should be or even what the larger implications of his discovery were.  It was possible that there was no spirit – that he’d been tricked by his friends or by someone else.  But he couldn’t even begin to explain the events of the previous day without acknowledging that something supernatural had been at work.  Things moving on their own, floating objects, ghostly voices, and the energy in the air itself… he was relatively certain that was all real. 

The second option was that the spirit wasn’t the murdered boy at all.  He hadn’t come out and claimed to be said person in the first place; it was more an assumption that all the club members had made.  Perhaps they’d all been wrong, and all the things that lined up were just coincidences. 

But the option that Riku favored was the third – that the spirit was either mistaken or lying about its identity.  If this was the murdered boy, Riku didn’t think his name was “Roxas.”  This theory seemed more likely because the spirit was fuzzy on other details of his life too.  And he’d gotten riled up at the mention for a violent death, so that added some credence to the idea.  

Riku pursed his lips, thinking about his next course of action.  He had precious little time left before he was supposed to be at the Usual Spot.  He knew he could be putting himself in danger, but he didn’t see any way of backing out now. 

If the silver-haired man didn’t show, he was pretty sure Axel would find him, beat him to within an inch of his life, and drag his ass all the way to the Usual Spot anyway.  At least if he went of his own volition, he’d avoid any broken bones. 

He just hoped curiosity wouldn’t kill the cat this time. 

 

* * *

 

“Roxas wasn’t on the list,” he blurted out the second he walked through the door.  “So I think… what the _hell_ happened here?”    

He did a double take and then a triple take at the room.  It was practically unrecognizable.  Intricate designs covered the floor, the walls, and even the ceiling.  He wasn’t sure how they’d managed to do the whole ceiling, and in such perfect detail as well, but that was really one of the last questions he wanted to ask. 

He didn’t recognize the origins of any of the images, but he thought they looked partially inspired by sacred geometry.  Arrays of circles and triangles and hexagons were punctuated by what seemed to be a script of some sort, although it was foreign to him.  He thought it looked similar to Sanskrit, but it might as well have been Elvish for all he knew.  Taking a closer look, he suspected it was a combination of several different writing systems, and he wondered how many of them were real. 

“This is… some next level shit.”  Perhaps the understatement of the year, but he was too stupefied to think of anything else.  

“Pick your jaw up off the floor, Riku,” Zexion chided.  “It’s just simple mathematics and – “

“Oh god, spare us the lecture,” Axel interrupted, sighing dramatically.  “It took us a long time to get this all set up, so you’d better be impressed.”

“Impressed?” Riku retorted, his attention still focused on examining the room.  “That’s not the word I would use.  I’d say more _horrified_ than anything else.”

“So ungrateful.”  Axel rolled his eyes.  “Don't just stand in the doorway like a little lost sheep.  Come in and get comfortable!  You’re the main attraction, after all.” 

If they were going with the sheep analogy, then Axel sure seemed like the wolf leading the lamb to the slaughter right now, Riku thought.  The redhead was practically thrumming with energy, like one of those students who stays up for four days straight and chugs red bulls incessantly.  Actually, the chances that Axel had done just that were pretty high. 

The grin on the redhead’s face was predatory, and it make Riku uncomfortable on an almost primal level.  But he quashed those instincts as baseless paranoia and stepped fully into the room. 

He could see now that it was all symmetrical.  Each wall shared the same design that spread out like flower petals from the center of the floor.  The ceiling was more writing, or at least what he assumed was writing, than geometric figures.  Even his keen-eyed vision couldn’t detect a single flaw in any of the shapes and lines.  This kind of ability was beyond human, the silver-haired man thought. 

As he walked across the room, he ran his fingers along the wall, feeling the texture.  It wasn’t chalky against his fingertips like he’d originally expected. 

“Is this permanent?  How are we going to clean it up?”  He asked, hoping Zexion would humor him instead of Axel.  As an afterthought, he added, “And did you guys stay up all night doing this?”

Axel waved him off.  “Don’t sweat the details, Princess.  We’ll answer your questions later.  Zex expects our spirit to show up any time now, so you’d better pull yourself together and get ready.” 

As if on queue, there was a loud beeping from Zexion’s equipment.  The quiet man ran to the device like he’d sprouted wings, and his face said it all before his mouth had the chance.  “He’s here.  It’s time.” 

“Right,” Axel nodded, springing into action.  “Come here, Riku.” 

The redhead grabbed the silver-haired man by the arm and manhandled him over to the very center of the room.  The spot where Axel instructed him to stand was distinct in its emptiness; it was the only spot in the room that was bare of any designs.  Two large concentric circles surrounded him, and there was a ring of writing sandwiched between the circles.  Outside the circles, the sacred geometric pattern blossomed around them.  

Axel left him with a murmur that he’d be right back, so Riku had a moment to study the writing on the floor.  It was mostly the same nonsense he’d already seen.  But then something on the edge of his vision caught his attention.  Roman letters, small but distinct.  Latin words.  His eyes widened in recognition. 

_Et in Arcadia Ego_  

_Even in Arcadia, There I Am_ , he mentally translated the phrase.  He was puzzled by its meaning.  He knew it was the name of a famous painting, but its inclusion in an occult ritual didn’t make sense.  He’d thought it was a kind of _memento mori_ sentiment; a reminder that death was also present in paradise.  At least, that’s what he’d been told. 

His eyes roved further down the circle, suddenly hungry for more clues.  He picked out a longer sentence in English, but the script was so small it was almost unreadable.  He squinted at the letters, carefully identifying each one:      

_Blessed is the lion which the man eats, and the lion will become man;_

_and cursed is the man whom the lion eats, and the lion will become man._

The phrasing was reminiscent of Christian allegory, he thought, but the message seemed more sinister.  Darker, perhaps, than any Christianity he’d been exposed to in the past.  He wondered if he was the man, offering himself up as a sacrifice to the lion.  Or was he the lion, about to be eaten by the man?   

Riku was pulled from his musings when Axel returned with a leather-bound book in hand.  The redhead handed over the tome gently, almost reverently, and instructed Riku to be careful.  

“Try not to be rough with it, okay?  It’s basically our Bible, and it’s over two hundred years old.” 

The silver-haired man almost dropped the book from shock right then and there.  “Holy – er, that’s really old!” 

“You can still swear here, you know.”  Axel seemed amused by Riku’s self-censorship.  “Zexion’s a relic hoarder, you should see his collection sometime.” 

“Yeah, after we’re done here I guess.”  Riku rubbed the back of his neck.  “Are you guys sure you’ve done this before?” 

“Getting cold feet already, are you?  Don’t leave us at the altar now.” 

Axel’s answer was more of a non-answer, and that fact didn’t escape Riku.  The silver-haired man glared at the redhead until he finally caved.  

Axel clucked his tongue.  “Yes, we’ve done it before.  Dozens of times, if not more.  No one’s ever gotten seriously hurt, so quit being such a whiner.  Don’t make me regret counting on you.” 

Riku was many things, but a coward he was not.  The implication rankled him enough to bring out his stubborn tendencies.  It also had the side effect of strengthening his resolve. 

“Fine, let’s get started already.” 

Riku took up the book and began to read.

 

* * *

 

Sora’s body felt heavier and his muscles weaker by the second.  His head was filled with cotton wool, and his vision blurred as he stumbled toward the light.  

_Am I dying?_ The thought crossed his mind, and he found he didn’t mind it as much as he should.  At least he could rest. 

But Riku would be unprotected if he died, and after all that they’d been through, he couldn’t give up the light now. 

He tried to reach out, to draw energy from the light.  To his surprise, the energy reserves he reached for were barren.  It was like trying to pull blood from a stone. 

The angel heard noises behind him, and he turned in time to see three dark portals spring up seemingly out of nowhere.    

He summoned Oathkeeper, but the sword was slow to materialize in his hand.  The balance of the weapon felt off, and his wrist was nearly too feeble to hold it properly.

Cloaked figures stepped out of each of the portals, emanating auras of darkness that spread across Sora’s vision.  They all had hoods pulled low over their faces, obscuring their features.  Sora was reminded of the man he had fought the other day – the one that had put a sword through his stomach. 

The brunette was instantly on high alert.  Three against one wasn’t a fair fight even when Sora was at full power, but in his current state… well, it would be practically impossible.  The odds didn’t look good for him.

The two figures on the left and right seemed youthful and strong, but the being in the middle was hunched over as if in old age.  If the central creature was stretched to full height, Sora estimated he would be much taller than the other two.  The angel could sense power brimming from the youths, but when he tried to assess the bowed man, he wasn’t able to detect anything.  It was as if the man were a calm lake in between two roaring waterfalls. 

Sora stood at the ready, waiting to see if the three would start talking or fighting first. 

The entourage strode forward until they were nearly close enough for the angel to touch.  Apprehension roiled in the brunette’s heart.  Once again, he cast about for magic to fuel him, for even the barest hint of energy, but there was nothing.  He was like a lamb in the presence of lions. 

_Has Riku forsaken me?_   He wondered. 

And then the hunched man spoke.  “Take him,” he said, gesturing to Sora, “but do not harm him.” 

Sora stepped back, realizing their intentions.  At the very least, he didn’t plan on making it easy for them. 

The smaller two rushed at him faster than he could possibly react.  He swung his sword clumsily, hoping for blind luck to land a hit.  But Oathkeeper met only air on its downward path, and in a single blink of his eyes, the space in front of Sora was empty. 

He tried to pivot on his feet as he realized his opponents must be behind him, but weakness slowed his movements to a snail’s pace.   Before he could fully react, he felt strong arms encircle him, pulling him back against a body behind him.  His wrist was twisted painfully until he was forced to relinquish his grip on Oathkeeper.  The angel cried out as his trusty sword clattered to the ground. 

The brunette struggled furiously against the creatures holding him despite their superior strength.  He tried to twist out of their grasp, but he found their grip unyielding.  His feet made contact with his opponents’ legs when he kicked at them; it seemed to have no impact at all.  He knew the force behind the blows must be pathetic, and yet he continued to fight. 

The bowed man approached him, and the angel recoiled.  Where he had sensed nothing before, he could now feel darkness coming off the man in waves.  The darkness was thick and palpable and reaching out for him, hungry for him.  Hungry for the light, Sora thought, heart thundering. 

“Can you not control a boy as weak as a kitten?”  The man asked, tone scathing.  “Release him.” 

Sora felt the hands on him relax, and he used the opportunity to gather what little energy he had in his body.  This time, he didn’t give his opponents the chance to act first.  The only attack he could land was one that was unexpected, he thought. 

The dark man was just an arm’s length away when the brunette rushed the man, striking at his opponent’s face with his fist.  

The punch made contact, and Sora was surprised to feel the man’s head snap to the side.  Either he’d had more strength in the attack than he’d thought, or this man was much more frail than he had expected. 

The dark man’s hood fell back, revealing his features.  His eyes were sunken, sallow orbs in his almost skeletal face.  Dark circles pooled around his eyes, making him look both sinister and ancient.  The top of his head was completely bald, but there was a shock of wiry, unkempt grey hair on his chin.  The man’s lips were thin and cracked and his brow heavily wrinkled.  Sora thought the man’s ears looked slightly pointed, but he couldn’t be sure.  

The expression he wore was simultaneously murderous and exuberant.  Thin lips twisted into what could have been either a grin or a grimace, and it frightened the angel. 

Sora pulled back to hit him again, but this time his fist was stopped in midair.  The man’s hand tightened around the angel’s until he felt delicate bones crack.  Sora screamed. 

And then he was on the ground.  Tendrils of darkness coiled around his arms, his legs, his wings.  They were holding him down, draining him, and the brunette couldn’t help but feel disgusted by the intrusion. 

The dark man’s hand closed around his throat.  The angel’s pulse thrummed against the man’s palm in time with the frantic beat of Sora’s heart. 

The man lifted Sora’s head up and cruelly slammed it into the ground one, two, three times.  The angel saw stars and felt blood drip from the back of his head, warm and sticky.  His limbs went limp; he found he couldn’t do anything but _breathe_.

He knew he was going to die; he could taste the defeat, bitter in his mouth.  Or perhaps that taste was his own blood from biting his tongue.  After all he’d been through, to be swallowed in darkness like this was devastating. 

Sora wouldn’t cry.  He wouldn’t beg for his life to be spared.  He was ready.

His heartbeat slowed.  His eyes closed. 

Distantly, the angel felt the dark man leave him.  His body seemed like it was a million miles away. 

A pulse of light flashed across his eyelids.  Reluctantly, he pried them open to see Riku’s soul glowing magnificently.  The hunched man was so close to Riku, and his hands were outstretched as if in supplication to the shining orb.  Darkness reached out, entwining with beams of light.  Evil tainting perfection, Sora thought. 

The angel felt the will to live rush back into him.  Riku had chosen Sora to be his shield.  A shield’s purpose was to protect, to guard, to sustain.  Riku had promised himself to Sora, and Sora had returned that promise. 

They had been bound together by blood, by sacred rite.  Riku’s strength and magic were inseparably tied to Sora’s.  The angel’s life was no longer his own, and that meant he had given up the right to accept death willingly.  

Still, the brunette could do nothing to save Riku from his current position.  He tried to draw on his bond with Riku, but he had no idea how to do so.  He mentally cast around for a thread connecting them, searching his feelings, his memories, and his heart.  And that’s where he found the link, faint yet strong like spider’s silk. 

The door was open.  

Now that he’d found it, he could feel it calling to him.  Riku felt so close; it was almost as if they were sharing one heart and one soul. 

_Help me_ , he whispered through their bond.  He hoped that the silver-haired man would hear his plea. 

_Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you_. 

He could hear Riku’s voice echo through his mind.  But there was more than just his voice.  Power like an endless ocean lay before him.   

Sora stood on the shore at the end of the world.  Before him was all the power he could ever want, endless and limitless.  Fathomless.  If he wanted, he could conquer the world, and who could ever stop him? 

The angel shook those thoughts away.  Strength without purpose was meaningless to him.  He wanted the power to protect the one he loved and nothing more; so he would take only what he needed. 

He watched as a wave rose up and descended upon his body.  The sensation of so much might engulfing him was too much to handle, and he felt energy fill him, spilling out through every pore of his body.  It was overwhelming, consuming him from the inside out.  He closed the door when he was just seconds from exploding. 

The angel’s mind was fresh and clear.  His physical body felt rejuvenated, and when he tested his hand he found that the broken bones were healed like new.  The dark tendrils holding him faded away into pinpricks of light that fell like stars across the battlefield.

He went to call for Oathkeeper, but the sword that he summoned was different from his usual blade.  This sword was longer and more intricate, with a weave of gold filigree at the base fading to pale blue at the tip.  When he looked closer, he thought the design looked almost like two folded wings overlapping.  Near the hilt, a heart shape was inlaid in the metal, and the pommel of the weapon resembled a fleur-de-lis.  The sword was the second most beautiful thing he’d ever seen, Sora thought. 

With his newly found power and weapon at the ready, the angel turned his attention to the dark beings after Riku.  He didn’t bother with the lesser two, instead devoting his entire attack to the one threatening the light.  The brunette flew into the air and gathered energy, preparing to rush at the man’s back. 

He sprung forward, moving faster than he had ever thought possible.  Quicker and quicker he moved until the objects around him blurred out of focus.  The two cloaked men flanking the target went to engage him, but they were too slow to stop his momentum.  The angel slammed into the hunched man with so much force that it sent them both careening headlong into the light. 

He felt something strange envelop his form.  They were still moving, but the air around him felt different somehow.  The scene around him was rapidly changing too; the darkness had faded and given way to a place that Sora couldn’t identify.  He looked around, trying to figure out where he was, but he had never seen anything like it. 

His eyes caught sight of an object approaching – a door, it looked like.  The door was massive and white, with stained glass decorating each side and the top.  Sora worried that they were going fast enough to crash into it, but his fears proved unnecessary when golden handles creaked and the door began to open. 

The door opened just wide enough for the angel to slip through. 

He had only a few seconds to marvel at the sight that greeted him before searing pain overcame him and his vision turned to black. 

 

* * *

 

Riku hadn’t finished reading the passage he was on when he thought he saw something flash through his peripheral vision.  He opened his mouth to question the other two about it, but a loud bang rang out before he had a chance. 

And then the building was shaking, the walls cracked and crumbled around them.  Fire alarms were going off, and Zexion was yelling, and Axel was pulling him away from where he was standing and pushing him toward the door. 

“Fucking go!  GO!”  Axel screamed above the cacophony. 

Riku didn’t need to be told twice.  He was already on the move, running for his life as he navigated the treacherous landscape. 

He managed to make it out in one piece, and when he looked back the building, he noticed fire spreading through the wing that held the volatile chemicals. 

The silver-haired man’s heart sunk in his chest.  Axel and Zexion were nowhere to be found. 

Making a snap decision, he raced back towards the entrance.  He sprinted down the stairs to the basement, calling out his friends’ names in desperation.  It was getting harder and harder to see by the second as smoke spread throughout the hallways.  He coughed and was instantly reminded to be more careful about inhaling smoke. 

He checked the Usual Spot but found nothing; perhaps they’d made it out a second after he decided to come back in after them, he thought.  Perhaps the smoke inhalation was clouding his judgment, because he resolved to check one more hallway before he gave up. 

The air was thick with ash in this corner of the building, so thick that Riku thought he’d blacked out for moment.  He didn't see the human arm until he was right on top of it.  He swore profusely as he tripped over the object before realizing what it was.  At first, he recoiled from the sight on the assumption the person was dead; there was just so much blood.  But a quick check of his pulse and breathing revealed that the person wasn’t dead; he was in bad shape, but alive nevertheless. 

Riku knew that leaving the boy here wasn’t an option.  Although it would be difficult and dangerous to carry an unconscious person out of this hell-hole, he couldn’t live with the consequences if he didn’t try. 

He bent down and picked up the boy’s body, trying to lift him bridal style.  The body was surprisingly light, he thought, and he was able to maneuver the unconscious form into a fireman’s carry with relatively little trouble. 

By the time Riku made it back out into the open air, he was shaking with adrenaline.  He felt like he was going to be sick, and his lungs were burning up, literally and figuratively.  Although he still hadn’t located Axel and Zexion, he knew that he didn’t have the strength to go back in a second time. 

He laid the unconscious boy on the ground a suitable distance away from the burning building and flopped down next to him.  He could hear the wail of sirens in the distance and hoped that paramedics would be there soon.  Perhaps he could take a short nap while he waited for them to arrive…

 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Would you believe that I actually dialed back the Christian allegory in this one? It seems like there's still so much! 
> 
> I hope you all enjoy it anyway. Looks like things are finally starting to move...
> 
> As for the next chapter, looks like Sora and Riku can finally be together :)


End file.
